Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants - NGO Funds

Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants -
NGO Funds
Main Report
For the Financial Mechanism Office
Ljubljana, September 2010
The views expressed are those of PITIJA, svetovanje d.o.o. and do not necessarily reflect those
of the Financial Mechanism Office.
This report has been prepared as a result of an independent external review by PITIJA,
svetovanje d.o.o. being contracted by the Financial Mechanism Office.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Evaluation Objectives/aims ..................................................................................... 1
1.2 The Context............................................................................................................. 1
1.3 The EEA and Norway Grants .................................................................................. 1
1.4 Evaluation Methodology .......................................................................................... 2
1.5 Limitations affecting the approach and evaluation ................................................... 4
2. Background in the beneficiary states .................................................................. 6
2.1 Overview of the civil society sector .......................................................................... 6
2.2 Overview of NGO Funds ......................................................................................... 8
3. Performance of NGO Funds 2004-2009 ..............................................................12
3.1 Alignment of NGO Funds with donor objectives .....................................................12
3.2 Civil society needs and the targeting of financing ...................................................13
3.3 The grant application and implementation process .................................................18
3.4 Management of the NGO Funds.............................................................................34
3.5 Achievement of NGO Fund objectives ....................................................................38
3.6 Inclusion of cross-cutting priorities..........................................................................44
3.7 Developing NGO bilateral relationships ..................................................................46
3.8 The Impact of NGO Fund support ..........................................................................49
3.9 Sustainability of results of NGO Fund support ........................................................52
3.10 Complementarity with other funding .......................................................................54
3.11 Conclusions............................................................................................................55
4. LEARNING AND CHALLENGES, LEADING TO NEW APPROACHES ................59
4.1 Knowing and Understanding the NGO Sector ........................................................59
4.2 Issues identified through the evaluation that are common to all countries ..............62
4.3 Using appropriate funding processes .....................................................................67
4.4 The role of Intermediaries – communication and support .......................................76
4.5 Types of Intermediaries and contractual arrangements ..........................................77
4.6 Developing Bilateral partnerships ...........................................................................80
4.7 Perceptions of the role of the NGO Fund in the countries and what the Fund has
achieved.................................................................................................................81
4.8 Enabling innovation and sharing learning ...............................................................83
4.9 Evaluation - learning and disseminating .................................................................84
4.10 Clarifying what is an NGO Fund .............................................................................85
4.11 Success Factors.....................................................................................................85
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. i
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.12 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 86
5. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ................................................................................ 87
5.1 What should the future priorities be? ..................................................................... 87
5.2 Areas where NGOs could play an important role – issues and processes ............. 88
5.3 Evidencing outcomes, impact and indicators ......................................................... 90
5.4 Developing a programme-based approach ............................................................ 91
5.5 Building the approach into the NGO Fund processes .......................................... 100
5.6 Other key issues for the future ............................................................................. 101
6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................... 102
6.1 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 102
6.2 Recommendations............................................................................................... 104
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................... 110
List of Tables ................................................................................................................. 112
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... 112
Annexes ......................................................................................................................... 113
Annex 1. Terms of Reference ...................................................................................... 114
Annex 2. Details of NGO Funds .................................................................................. 122
Annex 3. Country Summaries ..................................................................................... 127
Annex 4. Analysis of grant size................................................................................... 174
Annex 5. Eligibility criteria .......................................................................................... 175
Annex 6. Scoring of selection criteria ........................................................................ 179
Annex 7. Payment systems ......................................................................................... 183
Annex 8. Reporting and payment arrangements ....................................................... 186
Annex 9. Analysis of future needs .............................................................................. 188
Annex 10. Indicators .................................................................................................... 190
Annex 11. Questionnaire ............................................................................................. 191
Annex 12. List of documents....................................................................................... 198
Annex 13. List of Interviews ........................................................................................ 199
ii PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Executive Summary
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of EEA and Norway Grants - NGO Funds
 19 NGO Funds across 12 countries, with EEA and Norway Grants contributing
€ 85,3 million and € 7,9 million co-financing.1
 45 calls for proposals resulting in 14,810 applications submitted, and 1919 sub-
projects approved, ranging from 30 (Portugal) to 613 (Poland) sub-projects.
 37% of sub-projects were in the thematic areas of democracy, human rights,
discrimination and inclusion of disadvantaged groups.2
The EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds (hereafter referred to as NGO Funds), funded
by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, focus on supporting civil society development in the
beneficiary states, with the strategic objective of reducing social and economic inequalities
in the EEA. Nineteen NGO Funds were specifically established in twelve beneficiary
states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia).3
The NGO Funds support advocacy, awareness raising, and service provision by NGOs, as
well as capacity-building of the sector itself. Activities are supported across a range of
different areas, which have been defined under four main cluster areas by the FMO for
statistical purposes. As of July 2010 these areas are:
 Protection of the environment, - 574 sub-projects (in 11 countries, not including
Cyprus);
 Human resource development – 1083 sub-projects (in 11 countries, not including
Cyprus);
o Democracy, human rights, discrimination - 47%;
o Capacity building - 22%;
o Inclusion of disadvantaged groups - 18%;
o Regional policy - 10%;
o Mainstream gender equality - 1%;
o Human resource development- general - 1%;4
 Health and childcare – 146 sub-projects (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Slovenia and
Slovakia only);
 European cultural heritage – 116 sub-projects (Hungary, Poland, Romania, and
Slovenia only).
In each beneficiary state, a national Focal Point was established as a coordinating
authority for the overall EEA and Norway Grants, which is responsible for the collection
and prioritisation of submissions from potential project promoters. The NGO Funds are
managed by Intermediaries, contracted by the Focal Point or directly by the FMO (in the
case of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania). Consortia of partner organisations act as the
Intermediaries in Romania and Bulgaria, and for the Hungary NGO Fund. Private sector
bodies were engaged as Intermediaries for three of the NGO Funds; six of the 19 NGO
Funds were managed by governmental and publicly established bodies covering four
1
As of July 2010.
2
As of July 2010.
3
Full details of the funding streams and amounts awarded to each country are given in the main report, in Chapter 3 and
in the Annexes.
4
Some sub-projects covered more than one thematic area.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. I
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
beneficiary states; the rest of the Intermediaries were non-governmental (NGO) or
not-for-profit organisations.
1.2 Evaluation
Scope and objective of the evaluation
The purpose of the evaluation was to provide an expert independent evaluation of the
contribution of the NGO Funds to the NGO sector in the beneficiary states. The evaluation
was intended to identify lessons learnt at strategic and operational level from the funding,
including the results achieved from the funded sub-projects. Questions set for the
evaluation are shown below in Section 3 of this Executive Summary. The evaluation was
also to provide national, trans-national and overall recommendations on the sector‟s future
needs, and suggest priorities for NGO support within the future EEA and Norway Grants
2009-2014, as well as suggestions for a programme approach for future Funds.
Methodology
All of the beneficiary states of NGO Funds were included in the research. The evaluation
approach combined desk studies with fieldwork. Data on sub-projects and implementation
processes was collected from a sample of end beneficiaries by means of a questionnaire,
supplemented by telephone interviews and, where possible, Focus Groups for both end
beneficiaries and key informants, such as representatives of other donors, State
administrations, large NGOs, and Norwegian Embassies. In addition, Focal Points,
Intermediaries managing the NGO Funds, donor representatives and Norwegian Embassy
staff were interviewed. In total, 424 responses were received to the questionnaire (over
26% of all sub-projects) and over 100 people were interviewed or took part in Focus
Groups. Overall the Focus Groups were effective, but where there was an insufficient
response to the Focus Groups, individual interviews with end beneficiaries were conducted
to ensure that a full range of views were collected. Local experts collected additional data
on the status of civil society and the needs of the NGO sector in each beneficiary state,
based on parameters used by CIVICUS,5 to allow potential comparison with previous
studies.
2. CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE BENEFICIARY STATES
The NGO Funds have been a key source of funding for NGOs in the beneficiary
states, particularly as other funding sources are now less readily available.
Chapter 2 of the report highlights some of the key issues facing civil society in the
beneficiary states.
The significance of civil society, as an important building block for democracy in all of
these countries, cannot be underestimated, particularly for those countries that started on
a transition process from centralised non-democratic states towards democracy 20 years
or less ago. Whilst Portugal and Cyprus have separate histories from the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic states, they too face challenges.
The legal position and definition of NGOs varies from country to country, as does the
relationship between NGOs and government.
In all of the beneficiary states, to a greater or lesser extent, civil society organisations:
5
The CIVICUS methodology was originally develop by a team at Johns Hopkins University in the United States as a
means of researching and collecting data on the state of civil society across the world and was promoted by CIVICUS,
the world-wide network of NGOs. It is a standardised and complex methodology, which uses a series of indicators that
have been drawn upon for this evaluation. Previous CIVICUS studies are available for many of the beneficiary states,
but many of these are now some years out of date.
II PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Advocate on behalf of citizens and help to represent them and their interests;
 Act as watchdogs, evaluating and challenging government at all levels;
 Raise public awareness of issues and seek to inform citizens;
 Pilot and innovate in a wide range of social, economic and environmental activity
areas;
 Provide services, particularly to marginalised and disadvantaged groups;
 Aim to increase levels of citizen activism and engagement.
These civil society and NGO activities were supported through the NGO Funds. However,
overall the range of financial sources available to NGOs has decreased as international
donor funding has been withdrawn, and replacement of this funding from local sources, be
it governmental or private, has not necessarily filled the gaps, particularly in more
contentious areas, such as advocacy. In common with every NGO sector globally, NGOs
report inadequate resources to grow and develop their work. Key areas for the future
development of civil society in the beneficiary states are highlighted in Chapter 4 of the
report and outlined below in this Executive Summary. More detailed information about
each beneficiary state is given in Annex 3 of the report.
3. PERFORMANCE OF NGO FUNDS 2004-2009
 The average of grants was €45,474 with the highest average of grants (€105,460)
in the Polish Fund for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development,
and the lowest average of grants in the Estonia NGO Fund (€12,710).
 101 bilateral partnerships, with significant numbers in Poland, Slovenia and
Cyprus.
 38.5% of sub-projects completed at time of the evaluation.
 Whilst there is little evidence that these small sub-projects will significantly
contribute to the reduction of social and economic disparities, new and
innovative services and activities that meet specific local needs already appear
to have significant impact.
 The funding has made visible the sector‟s role in supporting social justice,
promoting democracy and encouraging a more sustainable approach to societal
development.
 Evidence of increased public awareness and voluntarism.
 More than half of respondents to a questionnaire believed that the NGO Funds
helped them in capacity building.
 As a result of the experience gained in the NGO Fund process, 2 out of 5
respondents to a questionnaire were able to obtain funding from other financial
sources.6
The detailed findings from the evaluation in relation to the performance of the NGO Funds
are in Chapter 3 of the report. The following sections of this Executive Summary highlight
the key findings against the evaluation questions.
6
As of February 2010.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. III
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.1 Targeting of NGO Funds and achievement of objectives
To what extent and how have the NGO Funds responded to the EEA and Norway Grants
overall objective of reducing economic and social disparities? To what extent and how
have they contributed to responding to strategic priorities and needs as well as to the
development of the NGO sector at national level?
The NGO Funds have contributed significantly to ongoing NGO sector development.
Whilst the NGO Funds could not on their own contribute significantly towards the
lessening of social and economic disparities in the beneficiary states, they have
demonstrated innovation, new responses to need and problems, and assisted in
addressing inequalities.
Overall, the evidence suggests that the objectives of all of the evaluated NGO Funds were
relevant, even if not all were specifically focused on the overall objectives of the EEA and
Norway Grants. The most appropriate needs of NGOs in that period were targeted, and
this was confirmed by the views of the end beneficiaries and interviewees. One of the
weaknesses in the overall programme development process was that consultations with
NGOs on the priorities to be financed in each beneficiary state were not required or
implemented in all countries. This suggests that even more effective targeting could have
been achieved if such consultations had been held in all beneficiary states.
In relating the targeting of the NGO Funds to the achievement of the overall objectives of
the EEA and Norway Grants, where the NGO Funds were aimed at the same objectives
these may well have been too ambitious for small grants.
There is general recognition that whilst it is likely that none of these NGOs Funds per se
can make a “major contribution” to reducing social and economic disparities in any country,
appropriate sub-projects funded with regard to local circumstances can:
 Demonstrate innovation, particularly in services or initiatives where the state is
weak or has withdrawn, and where NGOs are important in developing pilots to
show new ways of dealing with old problems. Partnerships with EEA state NGOs
and other bilateral partnerships can be an important means of thinking and learning
about innovative practice.
 Provide sub-projects that can be complementary to state policy and strategic
initiatives.
 Address inequalities, for instance between regions in a country or for specifically
marginalised or disadvantaged groups.
It is particularly in relation to innovation that funds such as the NGO Funds can be
valuable.
Whilst civil society remains fragile in all of the beneficiary states, the NGO Funds have
clearly assisted with the support of the NGO sector in all beneficiary states. Through the
NGO Funds, NGOs in some beneficiary states been encouraged to be innovative and
develop new responses to existing issues and problems (particularly Hungary and
Romania). The grants overall have therefore contributed to on-going NGO sector
development, but there are still areas where a future grants programme in all beneficiary
states could contribute towards further development and these areas are identified in
Sections 4 and 5 of this summary.
IV PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.2 Intermediary performance and practices
How efficient was the management set up and how could it be improved to increase
efficiency of the grant system?
Management by the Intermediaries was variable and affected by a range of factors.
In the main, however, application processes were well-conducted, assessment
processes were transparent, and contracting of the sub-projects and monitoring
and reporting procedures were carried out well. More detailed guidelines are
needed from the FMO to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
The evidence suggests that the performance of the different Intermediaries varied in terms
of their responsiveness to end beneficiaries, in administrative and reporting capabilities,
and in their understanding of the NGO sector and its needs, both between countries and
between Intermediaries in the same country. Achieving efficiency and effectiveness was
sometimes inhibited due to (i) the national frameworks in which NGO Funds had to operate
(e.g. national procurement laws or requirement for harmonisation of procedures with those
applied under EU Structural Funds), (ii) misinterpretation of FMO rules and procedures
between different implementation bodies (Intermediary, Focal Point, and Paying Authority),
(iii) complex implementation systems set up before the Intermediaries were selected, or
(iv) lack of direct communication with the FMO. The FMO guidelines relating to
implementation systems are considered very general and there is scope for the provision
of more detailed explanation of certain issues, such as reporting, auditing and monitoring.
Overall, application processes were well-conducted, with good application packs and
wide access to information about the grants, which resulted in a high number of
applications. The guidelines provided clear instructions to the potential applicants on the
preparation of applications and sufficient information was requested in application forms
and in required documentation, which enabled objective assessment, as well as efficient
monitoring of the sub-projects during their implementation.
Assessment processes were seen as transparent and despite problems in one country,
were found to be efficient and well-conducted. Quality assessment and selection criteria in
general were appropriately set and applied, but differed in the complexity or development
of scoring systems and the scope and clarity of the assessment criteria. Decision making
and the selection of sub-projects were carried out transparently and within the planned
time frames (with the exception of Lithuania NGO Fund and the Hungarian Environmental
Fund, where there were problems relating to assessment procedures in both countries).
All applicants were appropriately informed about the results of the assessment and
selection process. In many cases, applicants were provided with detailed information on
the assessment of their sub-project proposals, which was considered as a part of a
learning process.
In the main, contractual negotiations and monitoring and reporting on the sub-projects
was conducted well. However, there were issues in some beneficiary states in relation to
payments to sub-projects. The speed of processing payments to end beneficiaries
greatly depended on the complexity of the implementation system established.
The evidence suggests that the capacity building support given to applicants, both
through workshops and consultations, contributed to the skills of applicant NGOs in
relation to sub-project development, and that applying for and implementing a sub-project
has also contributed to NGOs being able to access funds from other donor sources.
Capacity building was also enabled through other workshops, for end beneficiaries and
within and by sub-projects themselves.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. V
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The evidence points to the need for Intermediaries to be trusted by, and
knowledgeable about, the NGO sector, and be experienced grant makers. The
evaluation evidence suggests this role should be with an organisation independent of the
government.
What is the visibility of the contributions at different levels?
The NGO Funds are visible in all beneficiary states and widely respected.
Although the visibility of the contributions was not an explicit NGO Fund objective, it can be
evidenced that the donors achieved a high level of visibility through the activities of the
Intermediaries, Focal Points and Embassies. By supporting NGOs at local (and
sometimes national) levels, the NGO Funds are visible across the beneficiary states.
To what extent have cross-cutting priorities of gender, bilateral relations and sustainable
development been addressed?
Further attention needs to be paid to cross-cutting issues and to bilateral
partnership development.
The cross-cutting issues, which focus on good practice processes and understanding,
were not well-incorporated into sub-projects. As these issues are important in relation to
good practice development, further attention needs to be paid to developing more
understanding of why and how they should be included as part of sub-project delivery
processes.
Overall, bilateral partnerships have not been taken up extensively in the beneficiary states.
The reasons for this have been identified and recommendations made to improve the
effectiveness of this component of the NGO Funds.
3.3 NGO Fund results
To what extent have the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives been met at Fund and sub-project
level?
NGO Funds have resulted in strengthening the capacities of the NGO sector and in
addressing the needs of local communities. Some significant sub-project results
can be identified at local and sometimes national levels.
There are a huge range of sub-projects, supported under 36 thematic areas over 12
beneficiary states. Despite the fact that a majority of sub-projects (60%) were still being
implemented at the time of the evaluation, there was good evidence of some significant
results from the sub-projects. NGO Funds effectively tackled areas of strengthening the
capacity of the NGO sector, advocacy and awareness raising activities, good governance
and legislative initiatives, as well as service provision (especially in areas such as social
and health care) and environmental initiatives. The NGO Funds were effective in
addressing needs of local communities by supporting local grass-root organisations in
addressing local problems. This suggests that in the main, the application and assessment
processes had successfully identified sub-projects that would produce results, and thereby
broadly meet the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives at Fund and sub-project level. More
information on results is contained in the main report, but some significant highlights
include:
VI PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 NGOs skills in advocacy work reported as being significantly strengthened in Estonia.
 Increased co-operation between NGOs, and NGOs and state authorities, noted in Latvia and
Poland.
 The model of grant-making used by the consortium of NGOs working as the Intermediary in
Hungary is being used in discussions with the National Development Agency for the reform of
the various EU funding streams currently implemented through government agencies.
 The newly created NGO association of Gniew region (Poland) strengthened its capacity using
a sub-project grant to convince the municipality to open its previously closed tenders to NGOs,
and then to win two tenders to implement public tasks.
 Environmental NGOs in Romania are particularly involved in attitude change sub-projects, e.g.
achieving community agreement to give up agricultural practices that would have a harmful
environment impact, and getting the community to take ownership of the sub-project results.
The organisation of public debates on environmental issues in Romania has resulted in
improvements in public consultation processes.
 In the human rights field in Slovakia, an anti-discrimination awareness sub-project achieved a
high level of interest in information materials aimed at the longer-term impact of decreasing
discriminatory practices against their target groups.
 A sub-project in Slovenia took a census of 300 households, and implemented energy saving
solutions, and used the participating households to promote energy saving further in the
community.
 In the Czech Republic, a sub-project focused on strengthening ties between convicted parents
and their children. The sub-project recognised that to work with the children alone would not
be sufficient so the sub-project was also focused on the parents in prison, the prison staff, and
providing alternative care as well as supporting the visits.
 In Bulgaria, the establishment of a new model for social services to patients with oncological
diseases, filling a gap that the state does not meet, with the overall aim of this being seen as a
model for a social service funded through the state budget. Involvement of students in clinical
psychology and patients in remission as volunteers.
3.4 Impact and sustainability
What has been the planned and unplanned impact, including on the institutional capacity
of the sector, and on the targeted areas/groups at sub-project level?
To what extent has ownership by stakeholders and the institutionalisation of supported
activities been sustained after funding has ceased?
Further evaluation is needed to assess both impact and sustainability.
Since the evaluation was conducted with many sub-projects still being implemented or only
just completed, it is not possible to provide conclusive evidence about impact or
sustainability. However, there are some examples of impact already being apparent from
some sub-projects, for instance in the environmental field, with the engagement of
communities in improved environmental understanding and practice, and in projects which
have given voice to previously marginalised groups, such as minority ethnic and gay and
lesbian communities. As yet, the potential for impact cannot be identified, either at an
individual country level, or aggregated across the entire programme. Impact at a more
strategic level may be limited, as most sub-projects are meeting local needs, and the wide
range of thematic areas across the beneficiary states makes aggregation of these local
impacts difficult. In addition to this local impact, there is some evidence of advocacy work
and public awareness in terms of developing new legislation and national media
awareness campaigns, though this will take longer to evidence.
Similarly sustainability cannot yet be assessed, and much depends on the definition of
sustainability against the kinds of funded activities and what of these funded activities can
therefore be regarded as sustainable. It will be important for Intermediaries to undertake
in-country evaluations, to identify learning from the sub-projects that could be more widely
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. VII
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
disseminated, thereby contributing to both the sustainability of new processes and
innovative practices, and also to the impact of the work of the sub-projects and the overall
NGO Funds in each beneficiary state, by encouraging and enabling the spread of the
learning from the sub-projects.
3.5 Complementarity with other funding
Co-ordination is needed to ensure complementarity with other funding.
NGO Funds were practically the only funding available specifically for NGOs in the
evaluation period, so complementarity has not been a significant issue. However, in most
beneficiary states there was no mechanism for coordination between donors, different
government departments responsible for the NGO sector, and the NGOs themselves.
Without co-ordination, it will difficult to ensure complementarity in the future, as other
funding becomes available (e.g. Swiss contribution).
3.6 Perceptions of the role of the NGO Fund in the beneficiary states and what the
NGO Funds have achieved
The NGO Funds are perceived positively and have addressed both gaps in funding
and also challenges in the local environments of the beneficiary states.
The most significant impact of the NGO Funds has been their contribution to the growth
and development of the NGO sector in all beneficiary states. It is not only the financial
support which has benefited the sector, but also the recognition through the NGO Funds of
the sector‟s role in supporting social justice, promoting democracy and encouraging a
more sustainable approach to societal development, which are also key values framing the
EEA and Norway Grants overall. The NGO Funds have addressed gaps in funding,
particularly for more “challenging” issues, such as groups working with gay and lesbian
communities or with specific minority groups, in advocacy work and in the human rights
field; and also for capacity building, particularly to meet new challenges in the current
environment, such as environmental sustainability, contracting out of public services, and
diversification of financial resources.
4. LEARNING AND CHALLENGES LEADING TO NEW APPROACHES
A wide range of learning was derived from the evaluation and this is discussed in detail in
Chapter 4 of the report. This section of the Executive Summary highlights the learning.
4.1 Using appropriate processes
Appropriate funding processes are needed, if the NGO Funds are to achieve wide
reach across NGO sectors. Over-burdensome procedures can make the NGO Funds
hard to access and impede the effective delivery of sub-projects. The size of grants
need to reflect local conditions and needs. Flexibility is needed, and a “one size fits
all” approach is not appropriate. Further and more detailed guidance from the FMO
is needed.
Processes for funding
In terms of the mechanisms for the NGO Funds, much depends on what the Funds are
intended to achieve. There is a distinction between Funds that are intended to support the
activities of the NGO sector, and through these activities to support the development of its
capacities; and Funds which are intended to tackle social, economic and environmental
issues, which may have NGOs as primary end beneficiaries, or as only one of a wider
VIII PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
range of end beneficiaries. This distinction will affect the appropriateness of mechanisms
that are deployed for applications, assessment and implementation of sub-projects.
The evidence from the evaluation shows that there are significant differences in each
beneficiary state, with no single model of NGO Fund delivery. Whilst some processes are
governed under specific regulations enacted to enable the NGO Funds to be implemented
in the country, and follow the procedures of the main EEA and Norway Grants or EU
Structural Funds, in other cases (in particular in three countries, Bulgaria, Hungary and
Romania, where the Intermediary is directly contracted to the FMO) there has been
considerably more flexibility, and the NGO Funds have been regarded by the NGO sectors
there as easy to access, responsive and flexible. With this flexibility there has been an
awareness of the need for rigorous assessment and monitoring during implementation, to
ensure that risks are appropriately managed. However these NGO Funds have also been
able to break down more of the barriers of access to grants for smaller and less
experienced NGOs and to encourage innovation.
A key lesson was therefore the importance of developing appropriate processes and
reducing the administrative burden of NGO Fund procedures, which appeared excessive in
some countries. Where State Aid rules and procurement legislation were applied, this was
difficult for NGOs, but many countries obtained exemptions. There was a lack of clarity
about application of „De Minimis‟ rules, which could have a significant effect where NGOs
are developing activities which could be seen as social enterprises, and thereby „trading‟,
but for wholly public (rather than private) benefit.
A key challenge is how assurance in relation to risks – sub-project failures, corrupt practice
etc. – can be built in if state funding mechanisms, such as standardised application and
assessment procedures, procurement requirements, and procedures for financial reporting
and disbursements, are not followed by the NGO Funds.
Key Capacity Challenges
Key challenges and considerations have therefore been identified, which include:
 How far procedures that apply to both other state funds and the NGO Funds rely on
NGOs having well-developed skills in proposal writing and reporting, and whether good
sub-project ideas are being rejected as a result of some types of NGOs lacking these
skills – and therefore how far processes that diverge from those used for other state
funding are needed and what the implications are for the reach of the funds if there is
no divergence; and what support would be needed in these circumstances to build the
capacities of NGOs to ensure Fund access.
 What appropriate alternative processes could be adopted, and how far alternative
mechanisms (for applications and for implementation support) can be used to build
skills and capacities within NGOs, whereby the processes of the NGO Funds
themselves contribute to overall capacity building within the NGO sector within a
country.
 What the management, and therefore the resource implications, are of providing a
flexible and supportive sub-project application and implementation process.
Core or Management Costs
The issue of contribution to core or sub-project management costs has been raised in
most beneficiary states and the limit of 10% which was set by the FMO has been
considered to be too low. Co-financing through in-kind contributions also caused problems
in some beneficiary states, particularly in relation to evidencing the value of such
contributions, in terms of eligibility and proof of the contributions, and more clarity and
guidance is required.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. IX
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Grant size
In terms of size of grants, minima and maxima for any individual country need to be
determined by knowledge of the absorptive capacity of the NGO sector, how far the grants
should reach (for instance, to smaller NGOs with less capacity to manage large grants),
and the criteria set for the NGO Funds in each beneficiary state (e.g. partnership working,
innovative practice etc.).
Clarity of FMO Rules and guidance
The FMO rules and procedures were quite general and not detailed, and in some
beneficiary states this led to difficulties of interpretation. There is a need for more detailed
guidance and rules to be developed for future funding streams, which operate within a
framework that takes on board the issues raised above, and at the same time allows
flexibility.
Further, clarification as to what an NGO Fund is and what it is meant to achieve is also
sought.
4.2 Intermediaries
The key criteria for successful Intermediaries have been identified. NGO consortia
can be particularly effective in delivering results. Direct contracting of
Intermediaries by the FMO has been successful, but it is recognised that this may
not be possible in all beneficiary states.
Access to Information
A wide range of approaches were used, both to encourage applications and also to
communicate more widely about the NGO Funds. There is good practice to be shared.
Support for applications and implementation
Estonia provided a good example of disseminating experience from previous end
beneficiaries. Another good practice was the organisation of workshops to provide training
to NGOs. The processes of application and implementation of sub-projects can contribute
significantly to NGO capacity building, but this will only occur where resources are
deployed to assist the NGOs. This would suggest increasing the resources available to
Intermediaries specifically for this type of support.
Types of Intermediaries
There was a diversity of Intermediaries, including NGOs, not-for-profit organisations,
commercial companies and governmental or quasi-governmental agencies. However,
where NGOs and not-for-profit organisations, rather than government departments, were
contracted to manage the Funds, this was seen by end beneficiaries as more successful
The evaluation has identified that Intermediaries need to be able to:
 work flexibly to take account of the sub-project idea (including in the training of
assessors), rather than the skill of an NGO in submitting a well-worded proposal;
 fully understand the needs of the sector, and to respond to these needs with active and
trusting relationships with, and detailed knowledge of, all parts of the NGO sector,
including grass roots and regional groups;
 seek clear evidence of need in developing an NGO Fund proposal, engaging the NGO
sector in the process;
 demonstrate independence from excessive state bureaucracy, to ensure that grants
are allocated according to the priorities of the NGO Fund itself rather than any direct or
indirect „political‟ considerations;
X PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 ensure that smaller NGOs without access to additional resources are not
disadvantaged by slow payment mechanisms;
 be „trusted‟ by the NGOs as not being seen as an instrument of state funding, have
experience/understanding in running grant programmes that involve detailed proposals
with targets and outcomes, and understanding of national laws, rules and procedures
that apply to the management of public money;
 have experience of developing manuals and accounting systems that reflect size of the
NGO Funds and yet protect small NGOs from unreasonable demands;
 have systems for good publicity and experience of running information events etc.;
 be able to provide support to end beneficiaries during application and implementation
processes;
 ensure clear transparent assessment process for grants;
 ensure efficient payment and financial monitoring systems;
 ensure monitoring and evaluation procedures that focus on outcomes not just targets
and outputs, and encourage self evaluation in end beneficiaries;
 have a partnership approach to working with NGOs and government.
The evaluation suggests that these points need to be taken account of in the contracting of
Intermediaries in the future. It also suggests that the most successful types of
Intermediaries are likely to be NGOs or not-for-profit organisations. In three beneficiary
states where NGO consortia were the Intermediaries, these were seen as particularly
successful, as bringing together a wide range of experience of NGO issues and interests
as well as demonstrating to the NGO sector in general the benefits of consortia or coalition
working.
Contractual arrangements with Intermediaries
Direct contracting of Intermediaries by the FMO was implemented in three beneficiary
states, and worked well in these, but there is a potential downside that by-passing the
Focal Point could reduce government “ownership” of a civil society programme and
impede the donor‟s objective of building strong relationships with beneficiary governments
and between governments and NGOs. Where possible, direct contracting clearly has
advantages; however where this is not possible, it is essential that Intermediaries have
direct contact with the FMO. Where the Intermediaries have worked directly with the FMO,
the experience is seen as positive. Where such communication has been through a Focal
Point, there was scope for misinterpretation.
The existence of more than one NGO Fund, and more than one Intermediary in a single
country may be administratively costly, and has in one case led to some confusion.
4.3 Knowing and understanding the NGO sector
Civil society is diverse across the beneficiary states, but there are common issues
that need to be taken into account in the design and implementation of any new
programme.
Understanding of the civil society sector and the potential range of sub-project
interventions is essential to achieve successful investment outcomes. Understanding the
sector includes the diversity and typology of the sector in each beneficiary state and its
regions and the legal definitions of an NGO determining eligibility for funding; the
absorptive capacity in the sector in relation to the size of grants on offer; the support
required from application to implementation, and the flexibility to respond to changes in the
circumstances of the end beneficiary.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XI
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The definitions of NGOs and civil society differed from country to country. There was
inadequate legislation covering the definition of NGOs in some beneficiary states, and
organisations were sometimes barred or accepted as applicants based on local definitions.
Diversity, but common issues
However, a range of issues was identified that affect the NGO sector across all of the
beneficiary states and whilst the effect of these may differ from country to country, they
can both inform and impact on the effective investment of the NGO Funds to the NGO
sector. They include:
 the current political environment and the relationships between NGOs and
governments;
 the perceived fragility of civil society and in particular its connectivity to local
communities and citizens, and the way in which this affects the awareness raising
role of NGOs and how far NGOs are able to increase volunteering;
 the importance of NGOs in reinforcing democracy, good governance and in
advocacy and watchdog roles, as well as promoting new thinking about issues and
encouraging and ensuring compliance with European norms;
 the opportunities for, and resistance to, networking and building common platforms
and coalition and partnership working in some beneficiary states, where a
reluctance of NGOs to work together is in part a result of their competition for
scarce financial resources;
 regional disparities, which point up the divergence between capital cities and
regions, and which can be exacerbated by perceived allocations of funding
favouring larger NGOs based in capital cities. Achieving a broadly-based civil
society is essential to prevent polarisation within the sector and meet a wide range
of needs.
4.4 Bilateral partnerships
Further work is needed on the framework for bilateral partnerships.
Because most sub-projects are not completed, it is too early to identify the benefits of
bilateral partners (partners from the donor states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), and
so most of the feedback concerned the ease or difficulty of setting up partnerships. There
are some clear barriers, some of which require attention in order for the bilateral
partnerships to develop. These include:
 Lack of funds to allow workshops to bring carefully selected NGOs together to build
relationships that are real.
 Limited awareness of donor state NGOs of the scheme, and limited information in
English on their websites.
 Legal barriers to partnerships - for example in the Czech Republic there were
difficulties in allowing partnerships with not-for-profit, non-NGO entities, like
research centres.7
 The lack of standardised application procedures.
 Staff members of small NGOs do not speak English; they find it difficult to develop
applications – these must be jointly agreed, without a donor state NGO taking over.
 Norway is an expensive partner. There is a view that donor state NGOs should
give their time for free - but they need seed money, as with the EU Leonardo
programme.
 Fatigue and over demand on the part of donor state NGOs.
7
These kinds of difficulties might be avoided if the Norwegian Helsinki Committee was involved in early MoU discussions
with the beneficiary governments which is not the current situation.
XII PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
There is interest in the extension of cross-country working to other countries in the EU, and
in particular to other beneficiary states.
The views of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee on the key attributes of a successful
partnership are critical: common understanding of content and strategy; good sub-project
planning; building good sustainable relations; common understanding re culture -
similarities and differences; agreement on financial framework; and a longer term
perspective and funding of 2-3 to 5 years.
The key focus of learning transfer though partnerships needs to be on good practice and
process, which can be two-way, where NGOs from the “contributing” country also use the
experience to reflect on their own practice and process. Further evaluation is needed to
explore in-depth the learning achieved through the bilateral partnerships.
4.5 Enabling innovation, sharing learning
Innovative practice has been enabled in many beneficiary states and this should be
encouraged. Dissemination workshops, to showcase new thinking and approaches,
would be very useful.
Whilst not a specific aim of the NGO Funds, it is clear that in a number of beneficiary
states, either specifically or incidentally, innovation in practice has been developed in the
sub-projects. In some beneficiary states, sub-projects have been funded that break into
new areas, such as gay rights, whilst in others, such as Hungary and Romania, innovation
and creativity, “encouraging new ways of dealing with old problems” have been actively
encouraged in the grant programmes. Whilst not suggesting that a key focus of the Funds
in future programmes should be on innovation, encouraging new ways of thinking on the
part of NGOs and supporting this through capacity building initiatives should be
considered. Where innovation is occurring, it is also important that the learning from this is
captured and disseminated. Dissemination workshops should be supported, to showcase
new thinking and to enable the spread of new ideas. Showcasing could add significant
value to the NGO Funds, and also enable a changed environment in the NGO sectors in
the beneficiary states, contributing to capacity development and also to the
encouragement of new thinking and innovation.
4.6 Evaluation – learning and disseminating
Further work on evaluation and in disseminating the learning from the sub-projects
is needed at the country level.
Country-level evaluation has not to date been undertaken by most of the Intermediaries
(with the exception of Poland), although evaluations are planned in the Czech Republic
and Latvia. Country-level evaluation would be valuable in identifying the key learning from
the sub-projects and to enable wider dissemination of this learning, where appropriate, and
should be undertaken in all beneficiary states towards the end of the NGO Funds.
It is also valuable for end beneficiaries themselves to engage in reflective and evaluative
processes, and to include in these participatory approaches, particularly where they have
been working with groups of end beneficiaries. Capacity building in evaluation
methodologies would be valuable, as would specific budgets for the end beneficiaries to
undertake evaluations.
There is clearly some important learning that has been gained in each beneficiary state
and it would undermine the investment of these NGO Funds if the detail of this learning is
not appropriately captured. If there are changes in Intermediaries within a new
programme, there is a risk that such learning could be lost. Some Focal Points have
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XIII
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
already gathered learning, including from the NGO Funds, and this, added to learning from
the Intermediaries, is important. This current evaluation also provides an opportunity for
wider experience sharing and learning.
Workshops and networking activities can be used to disseminate the learning, involving
both end beneficiaries and wider groups of stakeholders. As well as printed reports, the
use of the internet should be considered.
5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Chapter 5 of the report looks at the learning from the evaluation in relation to the possible
design of a future programme.
5.1 Future Needs
In terms of future needs identified by interviewed stakeholders, there were long “shopping
lists” in all beneficiary states, but there were also some underlying trends. The general
picture of needs shows that the beneficiary states share the same challenges as
elsewhere in the world: human rights, democracy, developing active citizens,
environmental concerns, and underlying these, the need to develop a strong civil society,
with capacity building being seen as a priority.
5.2 Evidencing outcomes, impact and indicators
The development of indicators is critical for any new NGO Funds. It has proved difficult
during this evaluation to evidence outcomes and longer-term sustainable impact from the
NGO Funds at country level, not least because of the paucity of indicators against which
the results of individual projects could be measured, as well as the fact that in many
beneficiary states, sub-projects are still being implemented. The status of civil society has
been assessed as part of the evaluation and provides a base-line for each beneficiary
state, as the lack of a baseline has made assessment of change as a result of the Funds
difficult to measure.
Views from some beneficiary states suggest that indicators should only be goals for the
overall programme, as indicators themselves need to be country specific. It is clear that
any country-based indicators should be set against a baseline,8 and an understanding of
the country, as well as against overall strategic goals for the NGO Fund. The question of
results-based systems is relevant here, as this approach would not necessarily increase
the effectiveness of sub-projects, nor enable a reflection of the effect and outcomes of
many of the types of sub-projects that could be supported through these Funds -
Intermediaries from both Hungary and Romania noted that most NGO sub-projects are at
base very qualitative and about attitude change through sub-project activities. Achieving
attitude change is a key issue not only in these two beneficiary states, but across all the
beneficiary states.
5.3 Suggested approach to setting goals, aims and indicators
It is clear that the NGO Funds are missing a strong reporting system from Intermediaries to
the FMO that can evidence what is achieved by the NGO Funds. This is because the
current Funds lack a clear strategic focus.
8
Such as the CIVICUS Civil Society Index.
XIV PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Building on the donors‟ apparent current thinking about the next programme as focusing
on participation and giving priority to vulnerable groups, we have identified the following
strategic framework:
SUPER GOAL:9 To enhance and strengthen the role of civil society
GOAL:10 To strengthen the contribution that civil society makes to governance, democratic
processes, the protection of human rights and environmental sustainability, through
support for projects that involve citizens, increase social cohesion and social capital
development, address economic disparities, and increase environmental awareness.
AIMS:11 The development of Funds that enable innovative, creative and effective NGO
interventions in:
 Institutional strengthening; including partnership working, networking and building
stronger relationships with public institutions and creating an enabling environment for
NGOs;
 Social cohesion development; including provision of effective local services which
are responsive to local needs;
 Promotion of democratic values; including human rights;
 Environmental protection and improvement; including responses to climate change
and food security;
 Policy and strategy development; including advocacy and watch dog activities.
5.4 Criteria/ issue focus
Based on the identified needs and the findings of the evaluation, the requirement from the
donors‟ perspective to be able to assess results and impact and ensure efficient use of
Funds, and taking into account the disadvantages of spreading objectives across a wide
range of sectors and sub-sectors, it is recommended to base future Funds on a series of
themes or values that characterise a healthy civil society, that will enable achievement of
the aims noted above. Thus sub-projects would be allowed in any sector or sub-sector,
and might be assessed against defined local sectoral objectives, but from the point of view
of the donors, the FMO, and the Intermediary, assessment of achievement of objectives
would be on the basis of the contribution to strengthening civil society. Sub-projects in any
country would be expected to demonstrate activities and potential outcomes in one or
more of the following areas, as appropriate:
 Community and citizen empowerment - including end beneficiary involvement in
the design and delivery of sub-projects and their activities;
 Promotion of human rights;
 Advocacy and watch-dog role of NGOs, including the promotion of good
governance and more active participation of citizens in decision-making;
 Development of cross-sectoral partnerships, particularly with governmental
organisations at both local and national levels;
 Moves towards sustainability (e.g. resource diversification, philanthropy, income
generation, social enterprise etc);
 Developing networks and coalitions of NGOs/NGOs working in partnership;
 Institutional strengthening within NGOs and the sector, including the creation of a
more effective enabling environment for civil society;
 Cross-community initiatives;
9
Super goals are sometimes called strategic objectives.
10
Goals relate to the longer-term impact that is sought.
11
Aims relate to the outcome or difference that is sought.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XV
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Engaging citizens in civil society activities (citizen activism, volunteering,
awareness raising of civil society, work with the media etc.);
 Capacity building with smaller/grassroots organisations;
 Sustainable development (at community level).
Other criteria could be added, such as innovation, developing new ways of solving old
problems, pilots of strategic importance, replication and dissemination of previously
successful sub-projects, and quotas for sub-projects outside capital cities. Indicators of
achievement of the objectives need to be set by stakeholders, and would only be defined
for the overall NGO Fund, as they need to be country specific and set against a baseline.
A detailed list of possible indicators is given in the main report.
6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The conclusions suggest that the NGO Funds overall have been efficiently disbursed
through the Intermediaries, and that there are results from the sub-projects; thus the
immediate objectives of the Funds are likely to be a least partially or substantially
achieved, even though impact cannot yet be fully identified.
The report provides the main conclusions in relation to the evaluation questions, discusses
the learning from these questions and findings, and builds on the learning to propose a
possible strategic framework for the future, together with indicators against which the
performance of sub-projects, country-level Funds and the EEA and Norway Grants
allocated for NGO support can be measured in the future.
The following recommendations are therefore the result of the evaluation findings:
Recommendation 1: Learning from evaluation
There is a need to draw from the learning and experience of the current experience of
the NGO Funds, for the future set-up of Funds. Appropriate stakeholder consultations
at a national level, as well as consultations at a European level should be held. These
consultations should be informed by the findings and conclusions of this evaluation, as well
as the in-country evaluations.
Recommendation 2 – Future targeting of NGO Funds
Within the donor‟s overall priorities, the country needs and priorities should be agreed in
consultation with the NGO sector, both before drawing up the tender documents for the
appointment of the Intermediary, and after the appointment in developing the detailed
funding programmes, taking into account complementarity with other donors and national
funds.
Building on the need to target funding so that it can have clear impact, and taking into
account our understanding of the donors‟ current thinking about the next programme as
focusing on participation and democratisation and giving priority to vulnerable groups, we
recommend consideration of the framework outlined in Sections 5.3 and 5.4 of this
Executive Summary, focussing on strengthening the contribution that civil society makes to
governance, democratic processes, the protection of human rights and environmental
sustainability, through support for projects that involve citizens, increase social cohesion
and social capital development, address economic disparities, and increase environmental
awareness; and introducing themes and issues as criteria that would be common across
all beneficiary states.
It is also recommended that support is in future given to Intermediaries to update the
country baseline information, as this would provide evaluative information against the
XVI PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
indicators, as well as continuing to provide an ongoing understanding of changes taking
place in the NGO sector in each beneficiary state.
Recommendation 3 – Appropriate impl ementation systems for the NGO
Funds
The wide diversity of beneficiary states and their NGO sectors suggests that a “one size
fits all” approach for any future NGO Fund would not be successful. The FMO should
discuss with beneficiary states the establishment of implementation systems that
would allow flexibility and efficiency. MoU negotiations should aim to achieve less
bureaucratic mechanisms for NGO Funds in all beneficiary states, using the experiences
of those countries where exemption has been achieved from the more exacting
requirements, including procurement rules and state aid regulations. This could enable
wider access to NGO Funds, and encourage sub-projects that would deliver significant
outcomes. Direct communication of Intermediaries with FMO should be made possible.
However, the system should be flexible to take into account the specifics in each
beneficiary state.
Implementation systems should avoid the complex administration of the EU Structural
Funds and main EEA and Norway Grants, and should include:
 provision of advance payments, and easy systems to evidence „in-kind‟
co-financing;
 simplified reporting for small sub-projects;
 clearly defined responsibilities regarding checking of sub-project reports to maintain
a reasonable level of control.
Recommendation 4 - Types of Intermediaries
Intermediaries should be trusted by, and knowledgeable about, the NGO sector, and
be experienced grant makers. The evaluation evidence suggests this role should be with
an organisation independent of the government.
It appears that, with FMO support and the engagement of other key country and donor
stakeholders through local steering committees, all the open Intermediary tender
processes were undertaken in a transparent and professional manner. However, in some
beneficiary states, the Intermediary tender process was closed. Tender processes for
Intermediaries need to be open, using each country‟s public procurement procedures
and respecting relevant national laws. The selection body needs to be a FMO-appointed
Steering Committee.
Coalitions of NGOs as Intermediaries, as in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, were seen
to be very successful, as they combined wide and different experience and knowledge.
This, and a single NGO Fund for each beneficiary state, should be strongly encouraged for
future NGO Funds.
Recommendation 5 - Clarifying NGO eligibility
The FMO should consider developing tighter definitions of the eligibility of different
types of organisations for NGO Funds, to avoid both the inclusion of quasi-NGOs, and
the unjustified rejection of appropriate NGOs. This needs to be considered in line with the
recommendations on the framework for a new programme.
Recommendation 6 - Clarity and consistency in rules and procedures
The FMO should produce clear and detailed rules for future funding streams, within a
framework which allows for flexibility for each country NGO Fund, harmonising existing
good practice. The rules need to cover all aspects of programme implementation -
publicity, applications, assessment, contracting, capacity building support, and monitoring
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XVII
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
and evaluation, whilst allowing for country flexibility. There needs to be clarity about the
definition of management, administration or core costs, advance payments to
Intermediaries and end beneficiaries, the evidencing of „in-kind‟ co-financing contributions,
and the use of the State aid rules etc.
The annual meetings of Intermediaries organised by the FMO and the Norwegian
Helsinki Committee should be continued, with more opportunities for Intermediaries to
meet and exchange information and identify topics of common interest and good practice.
It would also be useful to create opportunities for National Focal Points to meet and
exchange information.
Recommendation 7 - Application processes
Application, assessment and implementation processes are very important, and good
practice from a number of beneficiary states should to be included in the guidelines
from the FMO for future NGO Funds. Specific recommendations are:
 The number of calls for proposals should be appropriately planned. Countries that
have so far carried out more than one call per year should consider reducing that
number in favour of preserving more time for pro-active development support for
sub-projects. A good practice would be to make pre-announcement of the calls, to
stimulate applicants to prepare themselves more thoroughly for the coming call for
proposals.
 Appropriate application forms that can guide a less experienced applicant through
the requirements of a sub-project proposal, with guidelines for applicants that are
clear and indicate clearly what is required in each section of an application form.
 For small sub-projects, the application forms should be simplified, so that the
process can be carried out in one phase.
 A two-stage application process for larger sub-projects should be introduced if time
allows. In the first stage, the sub-project concept would be evaluated and only
those approved would continue developing full proposals, possibly being offered
further support to develop them. In the second phase, full proposals would be
assessed according to the selection criteria.
 Definitions of “large” and “small” grants need to be negotiated with each beneficiary
state, taking account of the scale and diversity of the NGO sector.
 Workshops or other kinds of support at the pre-application stage, to provide
detailed guidance on what will be looked for in the proposal for funding;
 To widen access to NGO Funds, assessment processes should use weighting
where specific types of sub-projects are under-represented e.g. rural sub-projects,
Roma organisations etc. This would not distort the “level playing field” for
applicants if used as part of a transparent process e.g. publication of assessment
criteria.
 Encourage partnership/coalition applications, particularly where the NGO sector is
very competitive, and also encourage applications where “strong” NGOs partner
with “weaker” NGOs (or unregistered organisations), where direct or indirect
capacity building can be achieved through the “stronger” partner.
Recommendation 8 - Assessment/selection processes
There is scope for the sharing of good practice, and a set of FMO-generated minimum
requirements for transparent assessment processes. The FMO should clearly stipulate the
basic requirements for assessors, including expertise in the field supported by the NGO
Fund, experience in assessment, and independence (particularly having no links with the
applicant organisations or their partners). The FMO should define in which situations an
assessor would be deemed to have a conflict of interest, and how this should be tackled.
Potential conflict of interest should be checked as a standard procedure. Transparent
assessment criteria need to be published with the application details, so that applicants
XVIII PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
know and understand the basis on which their proposals will be assessed. There needs to
be flexibility to take into account the specifics in each beneficiary state.
In addition, staff of the Intermediary should not be involved in quality assessment,
especially if a more active role in development of a sub-project is planned.
Grant selection committees should be independently chaired, with the staff of the
Intermediary acting as officers. The National Focal Point, the donor Embassy and the
FMO should only attend as observers.
Recommendation 9 - Support to applicants and end beneficiaries
The experienced Intermediaries provided training and support during the application
process through web sites, workshops and by telephone and e:mail, despite limited
resources (in a number of beneficiary states, extra funding for capacity building of end
beneficiaries by the Intermediaries was not permitted by the Focal Point). There is scope
for sharing of good practice, and the FMO should develop minimum requirements so that
all Intermediaries provide ongoing mentoring and support, and not just monitoring.
Resources should be allocated to Intermediaries to enable the expansion of support
activities.
Recommendation10 - Monitoring processes and evaluation processes
Country evaluation reports should be completed for the current programme, focusing on
outcomes and impact, and the Intermediaries for each beneficiary state should organise a
closure conference in 2011 looking at results and needs for the future, linked to the donor
state embassy. It needs to involve a wide range of NGOs and be open to all who would
like to participate so as to ensure future fairness in choice of Intermediary. The EEA and
Norway Grants‟ Technical Assistance Fund where it exists, or a donor state embassy
should help with costs. This approach should also become standard for any future NGO
Funds.
A mechanism should be developed for exchanging information among funded NGOs,
including both general and thematic areas, both through thematic country meetings and via
electronic means throughout the beneficiary states. This would provoke new ideas among
NGOs, answering the need reported by some Intermediaries to encourage more innovative
thinking about sub-projects.
As well as the target outputs, the outcomes - the difference made, and the changes at all
levels, need to be identified for each sub-project as well as the NGO Fund overall.
Evaluation of sub-projects should be built into budgets, and in the next NGO Funds,
serious attention should be given to outcomes and impact by the FMO and the
Intermediaries. The NGO Funds need a strong reporting system from Intermediaries to
the FMO which can evidence what is achieved by the NGO Funds; this system needs to
be jointly developed between the Intermediaries and the FMO.
Recommendation 11 – Bilateral part nerships
Support to developing bilateral partnerships should be strengthened. In particular,
the following is recommended:
 More evaluation of needs and gaps in learning and skills in NGOs in the beneficiary
states, and encourage applicants to seek bilateral partners that would help action
the new approach to NGO Funds;
 Promotion of the bilateral partnerships in donor states, emphasising the benefits to
NGOs in the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) in engaging in
bilateral partnerships, ensuring information in English is on donor country NGO
websites;
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XIX
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Attention to supporting inclusion of partners from EEA EFTA States to ensure real
partnerships - partnerships should be driven by common interests, and not by
attempts to achieve high assessment scores – therefore extra scores for the
inclusion of bilateral partners should not be used;
 A longer time frame for partnership development;
 Seed money is needed to support the development of partnerships including funds
to allow workshops to bring carefully selected NGOs together to build relationships
that are real; allocation of funding to Intermediaries to organise end beneficiary-
based country seminars, focus groups or workshops, with the participation of
relevant NGOs from EEA EFTA States;
 Identification of legal barriers to partnerships and exploration of how to overcome
these during the country/donor negotiations;
 Standardised application procedures to be developed by the Norwegian Helsinki
Committee in collaboration with the FMO ensuring that both partners are fully
engaged in the application development;
 Sharing good practice on partnership development at the annual meetings of the
Intermediaries;
 The possibility of the extension of bilateral working to other countries in the EU, and
in particular to other beneficiary states of the NGO Funds.
Recommendation 12 – Visibility of the NGO Funds and sharing
information
There is scope for the sharing of good practice, and the FMO should develop minimum
requirements for communication.
With regard to visibility and publicity about the NGO Funds on Intermediary web sites, the
FMO should:
 Provide the basic outline of the web page;
 Provide a list of information that must be published on the web site;
 Provide a list of documentation that should be available in the English language,
such as: rules of the NGO Fund (including basic information on themes of support),
application forms, evaluation criteria, texts of the call for proposals, lists of sub-
projects that received funding, and a short presentation of the sub-projects that
received funding;
 Provide a deadline for completion of tasks (e.g. timing of publication of information).
Provision of the most important information about the call for proposals is important to
promote bilateral/international cooperation.
Recommendation 13 – Cross-cutting issues in future Funds
Focus on cross-cutting issues should be increased during both programming of an NGO
Fund and the application process. The relevance of cross-cutting issues, and targeted
results or impacts should be discussed with all Focal Points and Intermediaries at joint
meetings, workshops or seminars. Special attention should be given to underline the
rationale of cross-cutting issues in NGO Funds that include overlapping themes, such as
environment, with the FMO identifying clear expectations.
More focus should be given to increase awareness and understanding on cross-cutting
issues among potential applicants at workshops. Understanding would be improved if
practical examples of good planning and delivery of results could be demonstrated in
workshops and NGO Fund guidelines.
XX PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Recommendation 14 - Grant size and length of sub -projects in future
NGO Funds
There was a need identified in all beneficiary states for:
 Longer-term sub-project funding, particularly where pilots/innovation are being
developed. Longer-term funding is also needed for larger-scale sub-projects, and
bilateral partnerships.
 A lower maximum size of grants coupled with simplified procedures for
smaller grants for small and newly established NGOs.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. XXI
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
1. INTRODUCTION
This Chapter describes the objectives/aims of the evaluation, the context of the EEA and
Norway Grants NGO Fund support to 12 beneficiary states in the period 2004-2009, the
methodology, and limitations of the evaluation.
1.1 EVALUATION OBJECTIVES/AIMS
The purpose of this evaluation was to provide an expert independent evaluation of the
contribution of the EEA and Norway Grants 2004-2009 to the non-governmental
organisation (NGO) sector in the 12 beneficiary states operating NGO Funds. The
evaluation was intended to identify lessons learnt from the current funding arrangements,
at both at strategic and operational levels, including those related to the different roles of
NGOs working in advocacy and/or service provision. The evaluation was intended,
additionally, to provide national, transnational and overall recommendations on the sector‟s
future needs, and suggest priorities for NGO support within the future EEA and Norway
Grants 2009-2014, as well as suggestions on a results-based management system for
such support.
1.2 THE CONTEXT
For the beneficiary states of the EEA and Norway Grants, the funding of the NGO sector
has been crucial, as previous support specifically targeted at NGOs from the European
Commission (EC) and many bilateral donors largely ceased at the time of the accession of
these countries to the EU. Thus, in the period 2004-2009, EEA and Norway Grants have
provided major support to these NGO sectors.
At the end of this round of funding, it was logical that the donor states - Norway, Iceland
and Liechtenstein - and the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO), the secretariat of the grant
schemes, wished to evaluate how well the 2004-2009 NGO Funds had performed and
whether there are lessons that could be learned that would assist in the future. The FMO
therefore commissioned in early 2010 this evaluation of NGO Funds under the EEA Grants
and Norway Grants 2004-2009. All figures in this report represent the situation as of
February 2010 unless stated otherwise (the July 2010 profile is reproduced Annex 2, Table
11).
1.3 THE EEA AND NORWAY GRANTS
The 2004-2009 EEA and Norway Grants are open to 15 EU member states (Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain) and have the underlying objective of
reducing social and economic disparities in the EEA. Twelve of the beneficiary states of
the overall grants have operated block grants with a focus on NGOs, hereafter referred to
as NGO Funds. The EEA and Norway Grants were established in 2004, and
implementation is based on close cooperation between the donor states, Norway, Iceland
and Liechtenstein, and the beneficiary states. The purpose and size of the programme,
together with the method of implementation, is set out in a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU), which is negotiated with each beneficiary state. In this framework, levels of
financial assistance are agreed against a series of strategic objectives. Each beneficiary
state has developed a programming framework through focus areas in a series of priority
sectors.
EEA and Norway NGO Grants are an important source of funding for civil society in
Central and Southern Europe: €85 million in support is provided through 19 NGO Funds
and €100 million is given in direct support to individual projects promoted by NGOs.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 1
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
In each beneficiary state, a national Focal Point is established as a coordinating authority
and is responsible for the collection and prioritisation of submissions from potential project
promoters. The NGO Funds are managed by Intermediaries, contracted by the Focal Point
or directly by the FMO (in the case of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania). Consortia of
partner organisations act as the Intermediaries in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary (NGO
Fund). Private sector bodies were engaged for the implementation of three NGO Funds.
In total, six of the 19 NGO Funds were managed by public (governmental) bodies acting as
Intermediaries in four beneficiary states. Sub-projects are selected from applications
submitted in response to a series of calls for proposals.
Management of implementation (in terms of administration of the Funds, financial control
and on-the-spot monitoring) is mostly carried out by the Intermediary, but on-the-spot
monitoring is also performed by the Focal Point. Monitoring and evaluation of sub-projects
is shared between the Donor states (through the FMO), and beneficiary states (the
Intermediary, the Focal Point, the Paying Agency, and the Project Promoter who has to
demonstrate the capacity to manage the sub-project).
1.4 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
Evaluation team
This evaluation was carried out by a team of core experts involving sector specific experts,
evaluation experts, an analytical team, a quality controller, and local experts in each of
twelve beneficiary states.
The Approach
This Evaluation was conducted between February and April 2010. It examined the set up
and management of NGO Funds, including calls for proposals, applications and selection
processes; performance of sub-projects in the NGO Funds; and the status and needs of
the civil society sector in each beneficiary state in order to respond to six key evaluation
questions (see the terms of reference (ToR) given in Annex 1):
1. Relevance: To what extent and how have the NGO Funds responded to the EEA
and Norway Grants overall objectives of reducing economic and social disparities?
To what extent and how have they contributed to responding to strategic priorities
and needs as well as to the development of the NGO sector at national level? How
would a programme-based approach look for the civil society sector, and what sort
of indicators should donors use to make sure that funds were wisely spent?
2. Efficiency: How efficient was the management set up and how it could be
improved to increase efficiency of the grant system?
3. Effectiveness: To what extent have the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives and cross-
cutting priorities (gender, bilateral relations, sustainable development) been met at
Fund and sub-project level?
4. Impact: What have been the planned and unplanned impacts, including on the
institutional capacity of the sector, and on the targeted areas/groups at sub-project
level?
5. Sustainability: To what extent has ownership by stakeholders and the
institutionalisation of supported activities been sustained after funding has ceased?
6. Visibility: What is the visibility of the contributions at different levels?
The approach combined desk studies with fieldwork (for interviews and evidence collection
and verification). Within the resources and time scale of this evaluation, and its timing
before the completion of most sub-projects, it was not possible to evaluate all the projects
or to interview end beneficiaries face to face. The approach was therefore to collect data
from the end beneficiaries using a questionnaire, supplemented by telephone interviews
and, where applicable and practicable, focus groups for both end beneficiaries and for key
2 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
informants (involving representatives of other donors, State administrations, larger NGOs,
and representatives of the Norwegian Embassies) (see Table 1).
Table 1 Collection of country information
Personal Contact Questionnaires
Bodies interviewed or present at Focus Groups Sent Received
Country
Actual
Planned
numbe Types of body providing info Planned Actual Target Actual
number
r
2+3 4+3 2 IB + FP + NE + 9 EB + 2 GD
Poland 557 557 74 130
FG FG + 4 UM + 1 OT
Czech 1+2 3+2 IB + FP + NE + 7 EB + GD +
151 151 29 44
Republic FG FG 4 UM
2+3 1+2 2 IB + FP + NE + 14 EB +
Hungary 236 236 34 63
FG FG 4 UM
Slovakia 3+2 5+1
3 IB + FP + NE + 6 EB + OT 37 37 20 20
FG FG
3+2 IB + FP + NE + 8 EB + 3 GD +
Lithuania 2 FG 106 37 20 20
FG 4 UM + OT
IB + FP + NE + 6 EB + GD +
Latvia 1 +2 FG 1 +2 FG 165 165 22 20
2 UM
1+2 1+2 IB + FP + NE + 9 EB + 5 GD +
Romania 46 46 14 28
FG FG 3 UM + 12 OT
1+2 IB + FP + NE + 9 EB + GD +
Estonia 16 155 119 24 26
FG UM
Portugal 1 4 2 IB + FP + NE 30 30 11 18
1+2 1+2 IB + FP + NE + 10 EB + 5 GD
Bulgaria 61 42 20 31
FG FG + UM
1+2 1+2 IB + FP + NE + 4 EB + 2 GD +
Slovenia 24 24 13 13
FG FG UM
Cyprus 1 3 IB + FP + NE 33 33 11 11
Total 1,601 1,477 292 424
Legend: IB = Intermediary; EB = End beneficiary FP = Focal Point; NE = Norwegian Embassy
FG = Focus Group; GD = Government Department; UM = Umbrella organisation for NGOs; OT = other
(institutes, universities, foreign donors, donor forums, Foundations, etc.)
The Core Team developed a questionnaire based on a hierarchy of evaluation questions
and evaluation criteria given in Annex 11. The questionnaire was sent to local experts who
translated it into local languages and sent it to a selection of end beneficiaries. The end
beneficiaries were selected using the criteria of size of grant, representativeness of
sectors, end date of the sub-project, and in the larger countries, a spread of regions. The
approach planned for a 15-20% response rate, which in the event was slightly exceeded,
with the return of 424 questionnaires, representing over 25% of all sub-projects that were
included in this evaluation. Not all the end beneficiaries that responded to the evaluation
questionnaire filled in all the questions. The number of respondents that answered each
specific question will be given under each Figure in this report.12
Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with representatives of Focal Points,
Intermediaries and Norwegian Embassies were undertaken in all beneficiary states by
local experts and/or members of the Core Team.13 These were supplemented by
interviews with representatives from the donor, the FMO, and the Norwegian Helsinki
Committee (NHC).
12
End beneficiaries that responded to the evaluation questionnaire will be referred to in this report as „respondents‟.
13
The Core Team visited the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania, chosen for
their size of NGO Funds.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 3
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The Focus Groups were particularly effective in engaging both end beneficiaries and key
informants in reflecting on the learning of the NGO Funds as well as starting the process of
identifying the future needs.
A country template was developed in order to gather information on the state of civil
society and NGO sector in each beneficiary state, which was completed by local experts.14
These templates aim to provide a baseline for the development of possible indicators for
any future programme.
1.5 LIMITATIONS AFFECTING THE APPROACH AND EVALUATION
A number of respondents in several beneficiary states noted that it was premature to aim
to assess the impact of the funds, as many sub-projects were still in process of
implementation or had only very recently been completed. The timing of evaluations will
affect impact assessment; however, in this case, it is understood that the timetable was
influenced by the requirement to look at the overall achievement of the Funds focused on
NGOs and start to identify future needs, before negotiations with beneficiary states for a
new round of overall grant funding from the EEA countries.
The scope of the evaluation was very wide, not only because of the large number of sub-
projects across 19 NGO Funds in the twelve beneficiary states, but particularly because of
the requirement to collect information about the status of civil society and needs and
suggestions for future funding in each beneficiary state. In the event, the quantity of data
collected was greater than expected. This represented a real challenge, not only in terms
of time to carry out the analysis and synthesis of the collected data, but also in terms of its
logical and straightforward presentation whilst maintaining a balance between the different
beneficiary states.
During the course of the evaluation, several further issues arose which were successfully
overcome to deliver the evaluation report as planned. These included:
(1) A large amount of information was collected for the country templates, but in two
countries, Lithuania and Latvia, up-to-date information on civil society was widely
spread and it was not possible to complete the template within the resources available
for this evaluation. Information collected about the sectors was therefore drawn from
existing literature.
(2) None of twelve invited Slovakian end beneficiaries attended the Focus Group that had
been organised for them. To ensure that views of end beneficiaries were collected,
personal interviews were organised with six end beneficiaries.
(3) The majority of end beneficiaries of the NGO Fund in Latvia did not want to respond to
the questionnaires, because some research had already been undertaken on behalf of
the Intermediary during November 2009, gathering opinions of applicants and end
beneficiaries about the previous administration of the NGO Fund and future
conditions.15 Of 165 distributed questionnaires, only 10 replies were received. The
local expert carried out additional telephone interviews on the basis of the
questionnaire with 10 end beneficiaries. The information collected was considered as
sufficient, representing nearly 91% of the target end beneficiaries.
(4) In Hungary, it was not possible to evaluate the Environmental NGO Fund fully. The
Ministry of Environment met the local expert and provided documents, but due to
pressure of work, it cancelled a meeting with the international expert and no
representatives attended the Focus Group for key informants. Basic data was
14
This template used to a large extent the parameters of the CIVICUS methodology, thereby allowing for potential
comparisons with previous studies.
15
Opinion of applicants and end beneficiaries about the operation of EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanism NGO
Fund, prepared by Sabiedribas Integracijas Fonds, November 2009, Riga.
4 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
available about the Environmental NGO Fund, but there was insufficient feedback
from key stakeholders to be able to carry out a full analysis.
Despite these challenges and constraints, the evaluation team is confident that this
resultant report reflects both the current situation in each beneficiary state and the key
learning from the operation of the NGO Funds to date, which informs the
recommendations proposed in this report.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 5
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
2. BACKGROUND IN THE BENEFICIARY STATES
The Chapter provides an overview of the civil society sectors across the beneficiary states,
and an overview of the NGO Funds set up. Individual descriptions of civil society and the
NGO Funds in each beneficiary state are given in Annex 3.16
2.1 OVERVIEW OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY SECTOR
Transition countries, and the import ance of donor support for civil
society
The importance of civil society in all of the beneficiary states cannot be underestimated,
particularly for those beneficiary states that started on a transition process from centralized
non-democratic states towards democracy 20 years or less ago. In this respect, both
Cyprus and Portugal have different histories,17 from those of the Baltic, Balkans and
Central European states. In these latter countries, the development of a plurality of civil
society has been made possible through the support of many international donors, most of
which have withdrawn as these countries have progressed to membership of the European
Union. An exception is Cyprus, where the UN continues a significant presence due to the
divided nature of the island and the need to deflect the resulting tensions. In many of the
states of the former Eastern bloc, democracy is still fragile, and in some countries such as
Hungary,18 the existence of extremist nationalistic political tendencies and parties is
undermining societal acceptance of difference, with the risk of consequent human rights
abuses. In Slovakia,19 the government has at various times displayed hostility to the NGO
sector and civil society in general. Conversely, in some counties, such as Estonia and
Poland, relationships between government and NGO sector have been showing
improvements over the past few years.
The roles of NGOs
In all of the beneficiary states, to a greater or lesser extent, civil society organisations:
 Advocate of behalf of citizens and help to represent them and their interests;
 Act as watchdogs, evaluating and challenging government at all levels;
 Raise public awareness of issues and seek to inform citizens;
 Pilot and innovate in a wide range of social, economic and environmental activity
areas;
 Provide services, particularly to marginalised and disadvantaged groups;
 Aim to increase levels of citizen activism and engagement.
Human Rights and Advocacy – a critical role for NGOs
The role of civil society organisations in relation to human rights, and to advocacy with and
on behalf of citizens, is critical, particularly in those countries where transition, both political
and economic, has increased the risks of marginalisation of many societal groups and
changed the mechanisms of service provision. Encouraging the engagement of citizens in
16
Baseline studies were carried out for this evaluation, and for some countries significantly updated data was collected,
whilst for other countries there are gaps in recent information. For Latvia and Lithuania, for example, information has
been drawn from older sources. It is understood that some studies have been carried out in preparation for the Swiss
Contribution, which were not available for this evaluation, but which are a possible source of new information.
17
Portugal experienced the transition to democratic government in the 1970s. The Republic of Cyprus has been an
independent country since 1960, having gone through a struggle against British rule, but since the Turkish invasion of
1974, the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control over part of its territory.
18
Where an extreme nationalist party has recently achieved some electoral success in elections for the national
parliament.
19
Recent changes in government may herald a more positive relationship.
6 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
activism, in democratic process and decision-making are also key roles. A recent USAID
report noted in relation to NGOs‟ advocacy roles that:20
“While Northern Tier21 NGOs tend to have a high capacity for advocacy and
actively pursue advocacy efforts, their effectiveness varies widely and is greatly
dependent on government attitudes toward NGOs. Half of the countries in the
region experienced changes in their advocacy scores. Hungarian and Polish NGOs
enjoyed an improvement while their counterparts in Latvia22 and Slovakia faced
greater difficulties mobilizing citizens. In Poland, the change was largely due to the
new government‟s openness to NGO input. The political climate in Slovakia, by
contrast, became less favourable toward NGOs, with the prime minister making
negative public statements about some organisations”.
Bulgaria‟s score in relation to advocacy also worsened, as a result of a more difficult
advocacy environment and deterioration in infrastructure support, and NGOs in Romania
reported that their governments became less receptive to dialogue and cooperation. As
funding from government controlled sources (including EU funding streams) becomes
harder to access, there is a risk that many NGOs will curtail their advocacy and watchdog
activities, so as not to put at risk their access to such funding, by being seen as a
challenge, or oppositional, to government.
Funding Opportunities and Constraints
The range of financial sources available to NGOs has decreased as international donor
funding has been withdrawn, and replacement of this funding from local sources, be it
governmental or private, has not necessarily filled the gaps, particularly in more
contentious areas, such as advocacy. In common with every NGO sector globally, NGOs
report inadequate resources to grow and develop their work. Access to EU Structural
Funds is challenging, particularly for smaller NGOs. Whilst NGOs were eligible also to
apply for grants under the main EEA and Norway Grants,23 these grants are over
€ 250,000, and they could only be addressed by larger NGOs whose cash flows allowed
pre-payment of activities implemented under the awarded sub-project.
Financial support for advocacy work in particular is difficult to secure – in the main,
government funding sources will not support advocacy work or NGOs primarily involved in
advocacy, and therefore, as noted above, NGO roles in advocacy work can be limited or
curtailed where NGOs wish or need to seek funds from sources controlled by government.
This can particularly affect the development of policy work on the part of NGOs, where
evidence from service provision is used to inform policy dialogues and where this area of
work is seen as advocacy and therefore as “challenging”.
In all of the beneficiary states, diversification of income sources is needed, in addition to an
increased level of funding. There is also a need for further encouragement of self-
generating income activities, such as social enterprise. However, in some beneficiary
states, this is difficult, due mainly to the tax regimes as they affect NGOs. NGOs in many
of the beneficiary states cite a need for more favourable tax legislation to support
sustainable NGO sector development.
One mechanism, which has been introduced in some countries for NGO support, is the
so-called “percentage law.” Laws enabling taxpayers to donate part of their income taxes
20
2008 NGO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, USAID, June 2009.
21
Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
22
Few sub-projects around advocacy were funded in Latvia under the NGO Fund.
23
Although several larger NGOs did benefit from EEA and Norway Grants, this evaluation is focussed on the performance
of the NGO Funds only.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 7
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
to NGOs now exist in Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, and
Romania, though some are under threat of change or withdrawal.
Service Pro vision
The global economic crisis has severely affected all of the beneficiary states, with
consequent cut-backs in government budgets and with a particular impact on funding for
services. What were seen as comprehensive welfare systems, despite their shortcomings,
are being transformed by market-oriented policies, and in many cases services are being
withdrawn altogether, as state budgets are under pressure. Service provision is an area
where NGOs have been relatively successful in responding to societal needs, stepping into
the gap, taking contracts for service delivery from the state, or providing new services,
funded independently, in the gaps left by the withdrawal of the state. However, licensing
conditions for service providing NGOs in some countries are a barrier to their access to
contracts, and payment regimes for contracts are difficult for smaller NGOs to negotiate.
NGOs continue to face challenges recovering costs, obtaining government contracts, and
developing services that meet market demands.
Legal and Fiscal Environment
Although most beneficiary states report an enabling legal environment for NGOs, this is
very varied, with issues arising concerning the definition of NGOs within the legislation and
what constitutes a Public Benefit Organisation, to varying requirements for the provision of
Annual Reports and transparency and accountability of NGO finances and activities. As
noted above, the fiscal regimes in many countries do not easily enable the diversification
of funding sources by NGOs, and impose corporate taxes on a range of income generation
activities.
Civic Activi sm, volunteering and publi c perceptions of NGOs
Civic activism and volunteerism is patchy, with none of the beneficiary states exhibiting
high levels of volunteer activity. In some countries, specific laws on volunteering have
been introduced; in others, such legislative definition is seen as being needed. Public
perceptions of NGOs vary, but are relatively favourable in many of the beneficiary states.
However, there is still a need to increase NGO transparency and accountability and to
ensure that good governance in NGOs is fully developed, to achieve higher levels of public
confidence. This in turn can influence governments to work more closely with NGOs and
also increase citizen engagement in NGO activities. Codes of Ethics exist in many
beneficiary states, but are voluntary and may not be adopted by all NGOs.
NGO Organisational capacities
Organisational capacities and access to capacity building vary across the beneficiary
states, with some resourcing agencies, particularly at regional level, providing access to
training and support services. However, funding for the sustainability of these resourcing
agencies may not be secure. While not all beneficiary states in the region have NGO
resource centres, NGOs generally have access to training, legal advice and other support
services.
These contextual issues have informed the discussion in Chapter 4 of this report.
2.2 OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
The NGO Funds focused from the outset on supporting civil society development in the
beneficiary states, with NGOs eligible to apply for both large and small-scale grants.
Nineteen NGO Funds were established in twelve beneficiary states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
8 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
and Slovenia). The following Table 2 shows the detailed breakdown of funds allocated to
each beneficiary state and total number of sub-projects as at 9 February 2010.24
Table 2 Overview NGO Funds and sub-projects by beneficiary state
No. of
calls for Number EEA and Co-
Country NGO Fund selected of sub- Norway financing
sub- projects grant (M€) (M€)
projects
Poland NGO Fund – Equal Opportunities
3
and Social Integration
NGO Fund – Democracy and Civil
5 25
Society 557 33.5 3.73
NGO Fund – Environmental
Protection and Sustainable 3
Development
Czech Republic NGO Fund 3 181 9.5 0.00
Hungary NGO Fund 2
236 6.4 0.16
Environmental NGO Fund 1
Latvia NGO Fund 4
26
NGO Fund - Society Integration 165 5.2 0.91
27 1
Fund
Lithuania NGO Fund 1 106 4.5 0.50
Slovakia NGO Fund – Social Inclusion 2
NGO Fund – Human Rights 2
87 4.8 0.85
NGO Fund – Sustainable
3
Development
Portugal NGO Fund – Citizenship and Human
1
Rights 30 1.8 0.33
National Environmental NGO Fund 1
Estonia NGO Fund 5 155 2.0 0.18
Bulgaria NGO Fund 2 61 1.9 0.00
Romania NGO Fund 1 46 1.8 0.00
Slovenia NGO Fund 2 40 1.5 0.26
Cyprus NGO Fund 1 33 1.4 0.15
Total 43 1697 74.3 7.07
Source: FMO database, 9 February 2010. Figures rounded. For update 25 May 2010, see footnote 24.
From the total of 1697 funded sub-projects identified on 9 February 2010, Poland had the
highest number of sub-projects (557) and Portugal the lowest (30). The number of
supported sub-projects was a function of the size of the overall funds allocated for each
beneficiary state.
The NGO Funds support advocacy, awareness raising and service provision by NGOs, as
well as capacity-building of the sector itself. Activities are supported across a range of
different areas, which have been categorised into four main cluster areas by the FMO, for
statistical purposes. These areas, using July 2010 data are:
24
This was the cut off point for the evaluation, though there were still three calls for proposals open, under which
additional sub-projects have been contracted. From the 6th call in Estonia, 35 sub-projects were awarded (M€ 0.15).
From the 3rd call in Hungary NGO Fund, 63 sub-projects were awarded (M€ 0.95). From the 2nd call in Romania, 69 sub-
projects were awarded (M€ 2.8). One sub-project in Lithuania was cancelled. Total sub-projects as of 25 May 2010,
were 1863. The current picture as at July 2010 is to be found at the start of Annex 2, Details of NGO Funds
25
Total sub-projects as of 25 May 2010 in Poland – 613 (incl. withdrawn sub-projects/sub-projects contracted from reserve
lists).
26
The total financial amount for the NGO Fund in Latvia is 5 899 144 EUR (Contractors - € 5 352 277, Management costs
- € 546 867) and Society Integration Block Grant € 764 706 (Contractors - € 688236, Management costs - € 76 470).
27
In Latvia, a different title was used for the Fund, namely the Civil Society block grant (LV0061). In this report, the title
from the FMO database - „Society Integration Fund‟ - is used throughout.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 9
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Protection of the environment, - 574 sub-projects (in 11 countries, not including
Cyprus) - 30%
 Human resources development – 1083 sub-projects (in 11 countries, not including
Cyprus) - 56%;
o Democracy, human rights, discrimination - 47%;
o Capacity building - 22%;
o Inclusion of disadvantaged groups - 18%;
o Regional policy - 10%;
o Mainstream gender equality - 1%;
o Human resource development – general - 1%;28
 Health and childcare – 146 sub-projects (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Slovenia and
Slovakia only) - 8%;
 European cultural heritage – 116 sub-projects (Hungary, Poland, Romania, and
Slovenia only) - 6%.
Protection of the environment, human resources development and health and childcare
were further sub-divided into specific focus areas. An indication of the sectors and sub-
sectors addressed by the NGO Funds in each beneficiary state as of 9 February 2010 is
given in Table 3. The number of sub-projects in each sub-sector varied substantially and
was to some extent dependent on the focus of particular NGO Funds.
The sub-sectoral grants totals ranged from 466 for „Democracy, human rights and
discrimination” a thematic area covered in ten beneficiary states (with the exception of
Cyprus and Slovenia), to 1 for „Prevention and fight against addictions‟ in Cyprus. 37% of
the sub-projects were in the thematic areas of democracy, human rights, discrimination
and inclusion of disadvantaged groups.
However, how sub-projects are defined as fitting within these broad categories will depend
on the criteria set for individual grants programmes and the “fitting” of funded sub-projects
into appropriate categories for statistical purposes. Thus, whilst capacity building as a
specific sub-theme of the area of human resources development was identified only for
Latvia and Poland, many of the sub-projects in other countries also contained what could
be defined as capacity building elements.
As there was a wide range in the thematic areas, access to the NGO Funds by a wide
diversity of NGOs should have been possible in most countries. The appropriateness of
the themes, sub-themes and reach of the NGO Funds will be discussed in subsequent
chapters of this report.
28
Some sub-projects covered more than one thematic area.
10 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 3 Number of sub-projects by thematic area and by beneficiary state29
No. of sub-projects
Sub-sectors
Total BG CY CZ EE HU LT LV PL PT RO SI SK
Protection of the
518 15 66 36 110 62 40 117 16 15 12 29
environment
Biodiversity 9 9
Education 20 13 2 5
Protection of
223 66 36 24 51 15 12 19
environment - General
Renewable energy,
energy efficiency and
5 5
reduction of
greenhouse gases
Sustainable
261 15 73 62 40 66 5
development
Human resources
959 22 61 119 84 44 125 408 14 18 11 53
development
Capacity building 217 51 166
Democracy, human
466 22 61 71 45 44 32 139 14 4 34
rights, discrimination
Human resource
development - 11 11
General
Inclusion of
161 39 89 14 19
disadvantaged groups
Mainstream gender
14 14
equality
Regional policy 90 48 42
Health and childcare 144 24 33 21 7 5
Childcare 8 8
Health and childcare -
12 7 5
General
Health promotion 7 7
Prevention and fight
1 1
against addictions
Social / family issues 116 24 17 54 21
European cultural
76 42 11 13 10
heritage
European cultural
76 42 11 13 10
heritage - General
Total 1697 61 33 181 155 236 106 165 557 30 46 40 87
Source: FMO database, 9 February 2010.
29
Since 9 February 2010, 222 further sub-projects were added up to 29 July 2010.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 11
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3. PERFORMANCE OF NGO FUNDS 2004-2009
This Chapter reviews the alignment of the NGO Funds with the overall donor state
objectives and with civil society needs; the targeting of financing; the application process
and NGO Fund management; the achievement of objectives, including the cross-cutting
priorities; and the impact and sustainability of the results. The Chapter also looks at the
Funds‟ complementarity with other funding, and bilateral relations between NGOs from the
donor countries and the end beneficiaries.
Conclusions based on the evidence from the evaluation are included at the end of this
chapter. These largely relate to the management and outputs of the programme and
include responses to the questions set for the evaluation.
3.1 ALIGNMENT OF NGO FUNDS WITH DONOR OBJECTIVES
In general, it can be concluded that the objectives of all 19 NGO Funds were aligned with
the overall objective of the EEA and Norway Grants, „to contribute to the reduction of
economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area through financing of
grants to investment and development sub-projects.‟30
In eight NGO Funds (Bulgarian NGO Fund, Cypriot NGO Fund, Estonian NGO Fund,
Hungarian NGO Fund, all three Polish NGO Funds and the Romanian NGO Fund) the
overall objectives were identical to the overall objective of the EEA and Norway Grants,
including the same wording in their overall objectives. The overall objectives of the other
NGO Funds included different, more realistic aims for the support of civil society initiatives
(for example the overall objective of the Czech NGO Fund is to strengthen civil society at
local and regional levels in priority areas. Similarly, the objectives of the remaining NGO
Funds are to contribute to capacity strengthening of NGOs and support to civil dialogue).
These aims are nevertheless relevant to the overall aim of the EEA and Norway Grants,
since the development of the NGO sector does contribute to the reduction of economic
and social disparities, not only directly through some types of sub-projects, but also as part
of a wider social and economic impact resulting from NGO and civil society interventions.
The desired areas of support were defined in the Memorandums of Understanding (MoU),
signed between the donor states and the beneficiary states. Detailed tables of the themes
in different countries and how they addressed the EEA and Norway Grants‟ priority
sectors, are included in Annex 2 (Table 12 and Table 13). As noted briefly in chapter 2,
the main areas for the NGO Funds were:
 Protection of the environment
 Human resources development
 Health and childcare
 European cultural heritage
Other areas that were included in the overall EEA and Norway Grants were not in the main
used as the focus for NGO Funds. These included:
 Implementation of the Schengen acquis and strengthening the judiciary;
 Regional policy and cross-border activity;
 Technical assistance to the implementation of the acquis;
 Academic research.
30
Stated in the Protocol 38a, the EEA protocol and in the Agreement between Norway and the EU on the Norwegian
Financial Mechanism.
12 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
However, in Slovakia, strengthening of the judiciary was also included in the NGO Funds
focus areas; and in Estonia and Latvia, regional policy and cross-border activity was
included. In five beneficiary states, there was more than one NGO Fund – Poland,
Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia and Portugal.
In most cases the priority sectors of the NGO Funds were aligned with the country priority
sectors in the preparation phase, but Poland and Slovenia were the only countries
covering the four main priority sectors also during the implementation of their NGO Funds.
How far this alignment with donor priorities also reflected the needs of the NGO sectors
will be examined in the next section.
3.2 CIVIL SOCIETY NEEDS AND THE TARGETING OF FINANCING
In this section we examine how the NGO Funds were targeted in terms of NGO needs,
and how priorities were identified.
3.2.1 Alignment of priorities with NGO needs
As noted above, the NGO Funds were aligned to the donor priorities. How far these were
also aligned to the needs of local NGO sectors is also important. Almost all the end
beneficiaries that responded to the questionnaire believed that the priorities of the NGO
sector in their country had been met by the NGO Funds (see Figure 1),31 either to a large
or very large extent (81%), or a moderate extent (17%). These views were also confirmed
in the Focus Group discussions in most countries involving key informants.
Figure 1 Alignment of Fund priorities with sector needs
Source: 343 questionnaire responses.
However, the survey also showed that the satisfaction with the priorities differed between
countries. In most countries (the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania
and Poland), respondents stated that the priorities of the NGO Fund significantly reflected
the needs of the NGO sector; however, in Portugal, respondents on average believed that
the NGO Funds only moderately reflected the priorities of the NGO sector in their country.
Cypriot, Estonian, Hungarian and Slovakian respondents on average believed that the
NGO Funds in their countries were very closely aligned with the needs of the NGO sector.
Figure 2 shows the results of the questionnaire in five individual countries, whereby it can
be seen that Estonian and Cypriot respondents were the most satisfied while the Latvian
and Portuguese were the least satisfied with the appropriateness of the supported
31
In total, 424 end beneficiaries responded to the evaluation questionnaire (in this report these will be referred to as the
„respondents‟), but not all respondents filled in all the questions. The number of respondents that answered each
specific question will be given under each figure.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 13
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
thematic areas. In Estonia, the highest percentage of respondents believed that the
priorities of the NGO Fund met priorities of the NGO sector very closely.
Figure 2 Alignment of Fund priorities with sector needs
Source: 157 questionnaire responses
A higher satisfaction of respondents to the questionnaire with the supported thematic
areas was reported from countries where potential end beneficiaries were involved in
discussions about priorities at the design stage. In only four beneficiary states NGOs were
not consulted on the priorities to be supported (Portugal, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Slovenia),
and in none of these four countries is the average satisfaction of respondents with the
supported priorities very high. Portugal is the only country where respondents expressed
that there was only a moderate reflection of the sector needs in the NGO Funds. The
reason for lower satisfaction with the priorities in Portugal might be due to the top-down
process of selecting the supported priorities, as reported by the Intermediaries. Overall,
this division between the satisfaction levels in those countries where there was
consultation, and where there was not, would suggest that wider cooperation between the
sponsors and managers of the NGO Fund and potential end beneficiaries would enable a
closer alignment of priorities with NGO needs.
3.2.2 Identification of priorities
The beneficiary states identified and defined the themes and priorities of support to the
NGO sector in different ways, using expert committees, surveys, seminars or public
consultation (see Box 1). Where there was no specific research, such as Slovenia, the
NGO Fund included all possible themes supported by the EEA and Norway Grants.
14 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Box 1. Examples of identifying priorities
Czech Republic - The Intermediary organised a series of workshops for a Task Group consisting of
representatives of institutions and sector experts, which had to define the NGO Fund and its focus.
Latvia - An umbrella organisation, Latvian Civic Alliance, proposed possible areas of support on the basis
of known needs of NGOs in Latvia. These were further developed by the Intermediary and put to public
consultation (the proposal was published on the Internet); 80 NGOs expressed willingness to take part, and
25 comments were received. The Intermediary developed a new version, which generated no further
comments.
Romania - A national seminar for NGOs for the assessment of funding needs was organised with the
support of the Norwegian Embassy.
Slovakia - The Open Society Foundation acting as the Intermediary of the Human Rights NGO Fund
conducted a survey and discussed the needs of the NGOs on the ground in various parts of the country.
The results of the survey were formally announced through a Donors' Forum.
Poland – The areas to be supported under the calls for proposals were identified during a programming
process led by the Focal Point and carried out in consultation with the Council for the NGOs which the
Focal Point consider as a partner for identification/discussion, which should be financed from external
sources. Views were expressed to the evaluation team that this council was dominated by key individuals.
Specific thematic areas and sub-sectors are shown in Table 3 in Chapter 2 above.
In five beneficiary states, more than one NGO Fund was established – Poland (3),
Slovakia (3), Hungary (2), Latvia (2) and Portugal (2) - as shown in Table 2 in Chapter 2.
The range of themes within the different NGO Funds also varied between countries.
Clearly the more focussed NGO Funds (such as specific environmental funds; or the
Latvian Society Integration Fund working on issues relating to minority ethnic groups and
which could be defined as one of the most focused NGO Funds ) had a more limited range
of sub-themes within their Funds. Cyprus had only one priority area – health and childcare
– and this was the only beneficiary state which did not offer a range of theme areas, either
through general NGO Funds or specialist NGO Funds.
However, in general a degree of caution must be exhibited in analysing the prioritisation of
Funds in each beneficiary state against the types of sub-projects aggregated for statistical
purposes against the range of sub-themes. Much depends on the detailed criteria set for
applicants for the Funds, and also on the ways in which sub-projects have been
categorised for monitoring returns. Thus projects placed under a heading “Democracy,
human rights and inclusion” in one country could be placed under the heading “Inclusion of
disadvantaged groups” in another. However, what is of critical importance is how far the
key priority areas for NGOs were included in the Funds, and thus reflected in the criteria
for applicants, and how far the priority areas included broadly reflected the key needs and
priorities of the NGO sectors, and where possible enabled gaps in funding to be met.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 15
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Within the themes and sub-themes, the NGO Funds have addressed gaps in funding. One
example is that it appears that for the first time, in Portugal, two gay/lesbian organisations
received institutional funds for sub-projects. As noted in chapter 2, NGOs can find it
difficult to obtain funding for advocacy and awareness raising activities and these areas
are encouraged in the NGO Funds, with projects developing such activities in the fields of
discrimination, human rights, domestic violence, and trafficking. More examples of how
the NGO Funds addressed gaps in funding are shown in Box 2. Clearly, the flexibility in
the targeting of the Funds from country to country, through the development of the Fund
application criteria, enabled specific NGO needs to be met.
Box 2. Examples of focus on specific NGO needs
Latvia - The NGO Fund had three measures, of which two were specifically aimed at two types of NGOs.
The “Activity Measure” (40% of funds) was for stronger, experienced NGOs that already proved that they
could deliver results. The grants supported regular activities in accordance with NGO long-term action
plans and annual work plans. An analysis by the Intermediary showed that this measure mainly supported
NGOs operating at the national level. The “Capacity strengthening Measure” (20% of funds) was aimed at
newly established NGOs or those starting their activity in a new field. The support allowed for soft capacity
building measures and investment (supply of equipment). There were regional quotas taking into account
the number of inhabitants and GDP levels. The “Project Measure” (40% of funds) allowed for co-financing
of sub-projects in the domain of the call for proposals from €8,000 to 100,000.
The Society Integration Fund had six sub-measures, of which five were specifically aimed at ethnic
minority NGOs and one at primary and secondary schools. Two measures were also open to mass media
organisations, and one measure to publishing houses.
Poland - The Democracy and Civil Society Fund targeted two types of NGOs. The micro project grants
for “Reinforcement of institutional capacities of NGOs and institutional capacity of NGOs” were meant
solely for organisations starting activities, i.e. they had to be entered into the National Court Registry or
other relevant registry no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application submission. Small,
medium and large sub-project grants were planned for two areas, “Respect for democratic rules” and
“Increase of knowledge on civil society and democratic processes”. Only organisations registered at least
12 months before the date of the application submission could apply for these two areas.
Czech Republic - A regional approach was followed by allocation of the funds to NUTS II regions. The
grantee focus group pointed out that this led to speculations about where to locate a sub-project in order to
gain a better chance to being selected for funding.
3.2.3 Size of grants
The NGOs needs and operational capacities were to some extent reflected in the size of
the grants that could be applied for in the different Funds and was also reflected in the
average sizes of the grants awarded.
Division of Funds into sub -categories
Of the 19 NGO Funds, five divided the grants into sub-categories based on the size of the
sub-projects, small or large.32 The other 14 NGO Funds introduced either a minimum and
maximum amount of a grant or only indicated the maximum grant amount. The NGO
Funds in Latvia and Romania additionally defined different grant limits depending on the
type of sub-project/measure. Annex 4 summarises the division of NGO Funds into sub-
categories, and the sizes of grants.
Minimum grant size
Three NGO Funds (Latvia - Civil Society, Slovakia - Sustainable Development, and
Romania) set no minimum size of grants according to the Fund set up documents. The
smallest minimum grant amount was set by Estonia with a value of €1,278.33 A minimum
grant amount of €5,000 was set by six NGO Funds: Poland (all 3), Hungary NGO Fund,
32
Poland – Democracy and Civil Society Fund, Hungary – Environmental NGO Fund, Lithuania NGO Fund, Estonia NGO
Fund, Bulgaria NGO Fund). The Democracy and Civil Society Fund in Poland defined four categories (micro, small,
medium, and large).
33
The amount set was actually 20,000 EEK.
16 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Latvia NGO for Measure 2, and Romania for the Small Grant Schemes (SGS). A minimum
grant amount of €10,000 was set by four Funds: Czech Republic, Hungary Environmental
NGO Fund, Lithuania, and Slovenia. Five NGO Funds set the minimum grant amount
above €10,000, of which the highest amount was €40,000, set by Portugal Citizenship and
Civil Society NGO Fund.
Where only high minimum grants are available, this can disadvantage smaller NGOs with
less absorptive capacity, and thus risk reducing the range of NGOs that have access to the
grants.
Maximum grant size
The highest grant amount of €250,000 per sub-project was set by five NGO Funds:
Citizenship and Civil Society Fund in Portugal, Environmental NGO Fund in Hungary and
all three Funds implemented in Poland. A maximum grant amount of €100,000 per sub-
project was set by Latvia NGO Fund – Measure 3, Lithuania, and Slovakia (2). The lowest
maximum grant amounts were set by Latvia Society Integration Fund and Measure 2 of
NGO Fund (€30,000), Estonia (€31,956), and Slovenia (€50,000). Appropriate maximum
grant sizes need to reflect the nature of the NGO sector in a country and the intended
range of the grants in relation to the size of the funding stream.
Distribution of grant size
The distributions of grant sizes, and the averages of awarded grants vary between NGO
Funds. Histograms of the number of grants against grant size are given for each
beneficiary state in Annex 3, and the averages of awarded grants are given in Figure 3.
The highest average of grants (€105,460) was seen in the Polish Fund for Environmental
Protection and Sustainable Development, which allowed grants up to €250,000. Across all
NGO Funds, there were only 35 end beneficiaries that received grants over €200,000, all
of which were in Poland. The Hungarian Environmental NGO Fund also allowed grants up
to €250,000, but the average of grants there was only €19,873, with the maximum
awarded grant within this Fund being €47,455. Within the overall funding programmes,
Hungary achieved the second highest number of grants awarded, at 236. This was 42.4%
of the total number of grants that Poland awarded, but with only 19.1% of Poland‟s
allocation of funds. A specific decision was taken in Hungary to increase the number and
thereby the spread of the grants, by funding well under the maximum size of grant that
would be allowed.
The lowest average of grants were in Estonia (€12,710). Some distributions were highly
skewed – for example, the average size of grants from the Portugal Environmental Fund
was €68,968, which was 92% of the maximum allowed grant (€75,000). The average of
grants was also close to the maximum grant size in Slovenia (86%).
From Figure 3, it can be seen that for about half of the NGO Funds, the average size of
awarded grant was in the range €30 - 50,000. Around 15% were in the range
€10 - 20,000; 20% were in the range €60 - 80,000; and 10% were €90,000 or more. The
lower numbers of larger grants reflect two influences; firstly the maximum values of
allowed grants to be awarded under the calls for proposals (see Annex 4), and secondly,
the capacity of the NGO sector to implement large sub-projects.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 17
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Figure 3 The average size of grants
Source: FMO database, 9 February 2010.
3.3 THE GRANT APPLICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
This section covers the preparation of the application packs, the ease of access to
information about NGO Funds, the support provided during the application process, the
assessment and selection of applications, and the contracting process.
3.3.1 Preparation of the application packs
Application packs for the calls for proposals were prepared by the Intermediaries, or by a
sub-contracted secretariat (Lithuania). Interviews with the Intermediaries indicated that
they made use of good practice and experience from the implementation of other
programmes and donor funds. The most frequently mentioned sources were:
- Phare (PRAG and GGAPPI documentation);34
- EU Structural Funds;
- National programmes;
34
Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions; Guide on Grants and Public Procurement under Pre-
Accession Instruments.
18 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
- Other donor programmes (e.g. Swiss mechanism, USAID).
The approach to the development of the application pack differed between the NGO
Funds, but there was a common minimum documentation consisting of application forms
and guidelines for completion of the forms explaining the objectives, eligibility of
applicants, partners, activities and costs, size of grants, project duration and other
important information. Applicants were also informed in advance about the assessment
criteria and selection process. Most of the application packs also included a sample grant
contract.
Where the NGO Fund was divided into small and large sub-projects, most of the
Intermediaries used the same application forms for both types of sub-projects, although
different forms were used when some specific types of activities or measures were
introduced within one NGO Fund.35
With regard to the preparation of application forms, 93% of respondents found the
application forms relatively easy, easy or very easy, and only 7% found them fairly difficult
or very difficult (see Figure 4).
Figure 4 Ease of completing the application forms
Source: 412 questionnaire responses.
Changes and improvements to the application pack documents were introduced on the
basis of lessons learnt from earlier calls for proposals or other necessary changes
emerging from a change of legislation or FP requirements, or other reasons, for example:
- in Romania, the administrative requirements were simplified for the 2nd call for
proposals resulting in an increase of the applications received and their eligibility rate;
the quality assessment criteria were also improved;
- in Latvia, Activity Measure, the regional quota for applications was cancelled as it did
not work under the 1st call for proposals, and instead national/regional quotas were
introduced;
- in the Czech Republic, the minimum and maximum grant size and project duration
were changed in each subsequent call for proposals;
- In Hungary, the sub-project assessment process of the NGO Fund for the 3rd round
was improved.
35
For the NGO Fund in Latvia, the Intermediary developed three sets of selection criteria and application forms specifically
adapted to the needs of each specific measure. The Democracy and Civil Society Fund in Poland used two application
forms; one to cover sub-projects under areas A and B and one for the area C. The quality assessment grids were also
adapted.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 19
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.3.2 Access to information about EEA and Norway Grants
End beneficiaries were asked how difficult it was to find out about EEA and Norway Grants
for the NGO sector. Most respondents stated that they found it easy to access information
about the calls for proposals (see Figure 5). In many countries, where prior consultation
with NGOs had taken place, the NGO Funds were already expected, and the target groups
were well informed. In some cases, (like Estonia) the Intermediaries made pre-
announcements of the calls on their web sites.
Figure 5 Ease of information access about NGO Funds
Source: 412 questionnaire responses.
Most of the Intermediaries organised extensive road shows and information meetings. For
example for the Hungarian NGO Fund, the network of local NGO centres were used to
disseminate information and the Czech Intermediary undertook a strong regional
information campaign. Promotion was claimed to have been successful by both applicants
and the Intermediaries.
Besides publishing the call for proposals in national newspapers, and on the web sites of
the Intermediary and the Focal Point, existing NGO structures and networks were often
used to spread the information. In Latvia and Estonia, the call for proposals was also
published in Russian language newspapers to ensure access to information for the
Russian speaking population.
In most beneficiary states the Norwegian Embassy co-operated with the Intermediaries to
organise special events for the launching
of the NGO Funds (see Box 3). Box 3. Embassies support launches.
In Bulgaria, at the NGO Fund Launch Conference,
3.3.3 Support provided during organised jointly with the Norwegian Embassy in
July 2008, more than 115 Bulgarian NGO
the application process representatives as well as representatives of
All the NGO Funds except the NGO business entities from Bulgaria, ministries and
institutions and more than 30 representatives of
Environmental Fund in Hungary provided Norwegian NGOs, were present.
support to applicants through the
In Romania, the launch events, organised jointly
organisation of information seminars. Most with the Norwegian Embassy, were one-day
NGO Funds organised seminars in several events, where the second half of the day was used
regions, while others only organised to organise five parallel thematic workshops (for the
seminars in one location, usually the five components promoted in Romania), during
which the objectives of the components were
capital (e.g. National Environmental NGO described, the points of view of Romanian
Fund, Portugal). organisations were recorded and contacts
facilitated with Norwegian NGOs. Each thematic
In terms of provision of advice during the workshop was chaired by both Romanian and
Norwegian resource experts.
application phase, all potential applicants
20 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
were given the opportunity to submit questions. In Latvia only written communication was
possible, but in other cases, individual consultancy was provided. Most respondents
(more than 97%) assessed the support of the Intermediaries in the application process as
helpful or very helpful (see Figure 6). Examples of efficient support are the use of
information seminars to share information on common mistakes made by applicants to the
previous calls for proposals (see Box 31, Section 4.4.1) or provision of individual
consultancy in sub-project development in Estonia.
Figure 6 Assessment of support during the application process
Source: 391 questionnaire responses.
3.3.4 Calls for proposals and applications received
In total, 14,810 applications were received,36 and 1697 sub-projects were approved under
the 19 NGO Funds as of 9 February 2010 (see Table 4).
A brief overview of the NGO Fund operation shows that the majority of NGO Funds started
in 2007 (12) and 2008 (5), but the number of calls for proposals that were processed in the
first period varies. The highest number of calls within one NGO Fund was carried out in
Estonia and Poland (5), and Latvia (4). On the other hand, only one open call was
launched under the Hungarian Environmental NGO Fund, Latvian Society and Integration
Fund, Lithuanian NGO Fund, both Portuguese Funds, the Romanian NGO Fund and the
Cypriot NGO Fund. The experience of the Intermediaries was that many applications
rejected in the first call for proposals were re-submitted in the following calls.
How the Intermediaries managed the assessment processes and selection of sub-projects
for funding will be examined in the next section.
36
The number does not include applications received by the Hungarian Environmental Fund, or the ones received to the
2nd call for proposals under the Romanian NGO Fund.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 21
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 4 Overview NGO Funds and sub-projects by beneficiary state in Feb 2010
Start of
No. of calls No. of
Intermediary NGO No. of
Country and NGO Fund for selected sub-
status Fund applications
sub-projects projects
operation
Consortium of
BG NGO Fund 2008 2 704 61
NGO foundations
Consortium of
CY NGO Fund 2008 1 114 33
private bodies
CZ NGO Fund NGO foundation 2006 3 1107 181
EE NGO Fund NGO foundation 2007 5 768 155
Consortium of
NGO Fund 2 2779
HU NGO foundations 236
Environmental NGO Fund Ministry - gov. body 1 -
NGO Fund 2007 4
Foundation –
LV NGO Fund - Society 1111 165
public body 2009 1
integration Fund
LT NGO Fund 2008 1 390 106
NGO Fund – Equal
opportunities and soc. NGO foundation 2007 3
Integr.
NGO Fund – Democracy
PL 2007 5 6765 557
and civil society
NGO Fund – Private body
Environmental protection 2007 3
and sust. dev.
NGO Fund – Citizenship Public agency –
2007 1
and human rights gov. body
PT 251 30
National Environmental Public agency –
2007 1
NGO Fund gov. body
37 Consortium of
RO NGO Fund 2008 1 415 46
NGO foundations
NGO Fund – social
NGO foundation 2007 2
inclusion
SK 235 87
NGO Fund – human rights NGO foundation 2007 2
NGO Fund – sust. Dev. NGO foundation 2007 3
Inter-
SI NGO Fund governmental 2007 2 174 40
organisation
Total 43 14,810 1697
Source: FMO database, interviews with Intermediaries.
3.3.5 Assessment and selection of sub-projects for funding
Assessment and selection of received applications followed three main steps:
1. Administrative compliance and eligibility check of applications performed by the
Intermediary/Secretariat;
2. Quality assessment of applications performed by the Evaluation Committee;
3. Selection of applications recommended for financing performed by the Selection
Committee.
Administrative compliance and eligibili ty check
Administrative compliance and eligibility checks were common to all NGO Funds and
mainly looked at receipt of the application within the set deadline, completeness of the
application, number of copies, eligibility of applicants, partners, size of requested grants,
etc. The NGO Funds varied regarding the requirements for supporting documents to be
submitted with the application form. For official documents and proofs, applicants were
mainly requested to provide statutes of the organisation, registration certificates,
documents proving the financial situation of applicants, and proof of paid taxes and
37
First call for proposals. For the second call for proposals, there were 524 application received within the deadline.
22 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
contributions. The ease of collection of
requested documents varied as some NGO Box 4. Example of assessment - Romania
Funds allowed copies of documents In the first call, 20-25% of applications were
ineligible. The administrative compliance and
certified by the responsible persons (e.g. eligibility check were carried out in two stages
two Polish NGO Funds – Environmental under the 2
nd
call for proposals. Only the
Protection and Sustainable Development, application form and the declaration of the
and Equal Opportunities and Social applicant were requested before the selection.
The share of ineligible applications fell to 6%. A
Integration), while others requested detailed check was carried out after the technical
originals or notarised copies (NGO Fund in and financial evaluation phase for those
Romania). The latter also required partners applications only that were recommended for the
outside Romania to provide authorised financing by the Selection committee. The
translations. How the complexity of applicants were given a reasonable time to deliver
supporting documents. In case an application was
administrative requirements was dealt not eligible, the next applicant on the waiting list
within the second call for proposals in was contacted.
Romania is explained in Box 4.
There was scope to simplify compliance and administrative requirements, and thereby
make exceptions to national legislation, for instance in respect of State aid rules (see
Section 4.3.2, page 71). The Polish NGO Fund – Democracy and Civil Society defined
simplified administrative requirements for the MICRO sub-projects (5,000 to 15,000 €).38
Where documents were missing from the application, the Intermediaries requested
submission within a defined period of time. Applications that failed the administrative and
eligibility check did not qualify for the quality assessment.
Definition of eligibl e applicants and partners
The NGO Fund set-up documents show that eight of the 19 NGO Funds used a definition
of an applicant as stated in Article 1 of the NGO Grants Guideline.39 The other NGO
Funds used similar definitions including some of the following characteristics:
 non-governmental organisations existing as legal entities (Poland, Hungary –
Environment Fund, Latvia,40 Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovenia);
 social partners (Poland, Latvia – NGO Fund, and Portugal);
 faith-based organisations (Poland, the Czech Republic);
 operation in the public interest or in the wider interest of society (Slovenia,
Portugal, Lithuania, and Latvia);
 not-for-profit operation (Portugal, Latvia, and Slovenia).
The detail of the eligibility criteria used in each beneficiary state is contained in Annex 5.
Although most of the Intermediaries and Focal Points did not identify any major difficulties
in defining eligible applicants, in practice the definitions of NGOs and civil societies are not
necessarily clearly stipulated in legislation in many of the countries. This has sometimes
led to the granting of sub-project funds to organisations that could be considered as
outside of the parameters of the grants programme, and in other cases to rejection of
applications from organisations that could appropriately be considered as eligible for
receipt of funds, but excluded because of lack of clarity in defining what constitutes NGO
status.
38
The only requirements were (i) a statute or another equivalent document defining the goals and activities of the
applicant (one duplicate; original or copy), (ii) Extract from the National Court Registry (e.g. original extract) or another
relevant registry, confirming the registration date of the applicant‟s organisation, its legal persons, data of persons with
power of attorney issued no earlier than 6 months prior to the date of the application submission (one duplicate; original
or copy);and if appropriate; (iii) Legally binding permits required by law, necessary to commence building/investment
works (one duplicate, original or copy) – refers only to sub-projects within which investment works are foreseen.
39
Hungary – NGO Fund, Slovakia (3), Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus.
40
There were some issues about eligibility in Latvia, due in part to the current state of legislation defining NGO status.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 23
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
To highlight a few examples: eligibility of organisations (associations) in Lithuania was
broadened during the application process in order not to exclude associations where one
or more members were governmental institutions. This however allowed as applicants
associations established solely by governmental organisations, such as the Association of
Municipalities, which were not eligible applicants in some other countries (e.g. Latvia). In
Bulgaria and Romania, churches were specifically mentioned as ineligible applicants,
although faith-based organisations were included in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Participants in the Focus Group for end beneficiaries in Bulgaria specifically noted that in
their view, organisations that were not “indigenous” to Bulgaria should not been included.
A few NGO Funds set very specific additional requirements for applicants, such as:
 to have environmental protection and conservation stated as a goal in their statutes
(Environmental NGO Fund in Hungary);
 to have a minimum two years‟ experience in the implementation of activities in at least
one of the four focus areas of the NGO Fund (NGO Fund Slovakia);
 targeted definitions aimed at issues relating to ethnic minority groups (Society
Integration Fund in Latvia).
Seven NGO Funds included requirements about partners in the criteria for applicants.41
Partner requirements were more relaxed than those for sub-project main applicants, for
example, commercial companies could take part in sub-projects implemented in Poland
providing that the involvement of the partner was not-for-profit in nature. The position of
non-registered community-based organisations as partners was also discussed in a
number of countries, such as Romania and Hungary.
Quality assessment and selection criteria
The quality assessment used criteria that had been briefly defined in Annex III of the NGO
Fund set-up. Although all the NGO Funds applied a scoring system, there was no unified
approach. The Intermediaries developed criteria on the basis of their previous experience
with other donor funds and programmes, such as Phare, Open Society, and national
programmes. These broad criteria can be summarised as:
- Relevance of the sub-projects;
- Methodology;
- Coherence between the objectives, activities, outputs and results;
- Experience and capacities of the applicants;
- Value for money;
- Sustainability;
- Crosscutting issues.
The NGO Funds differed in the explanation or interpretation of the specific criteria and how
they were scored. The Intermediaries assigned a different importance/weight to specific
sets of criteria in relation to the total possible score. Some Intermediaries introduced extra
points to encourage partnership sub-projects, especially with partners from the donor
countries (for example Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, and Slovenia)
The minimum requirements for an application to be recommended for financing also
differed. The Polish NGO Funds included a minimum required score for important criteria,
such as relevance of the sub-project to the NGO Fund objectives. A minimum total score
for a sub-project to be recommended for financing was set by several countries, however
the scores differed; in Bulgaria and Lithuania this minimum was set at 60 out of 100 points,
41
Democracy and Civil Society Fund, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Fund, Equal Opportunities
and Social Integration Fund in Poland; Latvian Civil Society Integration Fund, Lithuania NGO Fund, Citizenship and Civil
Society Fund in Portugal, and Estonia NGO Fund.
24 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
and in Cyprus 50 out of 100. Examples of detailed scoring of criteria are given for
Lithuania, Poland and Romania in Annex 6.42
Assessment Commi ttees and organisat ion of their work
The majority of NGO Funds exclusively engaged external experts to carry out the quality
assessment of applications. The experts were selected either through an open
advertisement calling for applications for these roles, or invited on the basis of their
previous experience working with the Intermediaries, or through recommendations from
ministries or other funding institutions.
Conflict of interest in relation to assessment of applications is a key issue, particularly in
beneficiary states where the NGO sector is relatively small and where knowledge of the
sector is important for the assessment role. The treatment of conflict of interest varied. In
Lithuania, the minimum standard was that the evaluation expert was not involved in
assessment of any application submitted to the same call for proposals by his/her
organisation. However, monitoring in Lithuania did raise concerns about conflict of interest
there and that the selection committee voted on-line. This was the only country where an
on-line assessment committee process was used. In Estonia, an additional check was
made to ensure that the assessor had no links with applicant organisations. In Poland,
regional aspects were also taken into account, and the assessors could not assess
applications from the region in which they lived. Each assessor was required to sign a
declaration of impartiality.
In most cases, meetings with the assessors were organised to explain assessment grids
and to ensure harmonisation with regard to specific questions.
Often each application was assessed by at least two assessors and in some countries by
three (e.g. Estonia). Micro sub-projects, co-financed under the Democracy and Civil
Society Fund in Poland, were assessed only once, due to time pressure. Where there
were substantial differences in the scores awarded to applications by the two or three
assessors, either a discussion was held between the assessors, or, in most cases, an
additional and separate assessment was carried out, often by the staff of the Intermediary.
Thresholds for score difference between assessors that would trigger an additional
assessment varied widely. In Bulgaria, a score difference of 40% was allowed, while
Lithuania and Cyprus allowed 25%, Poland 20-30%, and Slovenia 15%. This is a wide
difference in threshold scores for reassessment and suggests that some guidance could
be given on this issue.
42
The Lithuanian NGO Fund used a simple grid covering the main sets of criteria, but there is room for improvement of the
assessment questions. For example, under Relevance, there is no direct question regarding compliance of the sub-
project with the Fund objectives. The Polish Environmental Fund demonstrates a complex scoring system and covers
relevant questions to be observed. In Romania, the criteria were improved for the second call for proposals. Cross
cutting issues were not part of the quality assessment.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 25
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Specific examples of quality assessment are given in Box 5.
Box 5. Examples of assessment processes
Latvia - Quality assessment is done by an Evaluation Committee, appointed by the Society Integration
Foundation (Intermediary) council on the basis of an open competition (5 persons + 5 substitutes). The
Committee is supported by a group of 27 experts who cover all areas of the Fund and have undergone
rigorous filters/tests. On average two or three assessments of one application are done by experts, and
assessment grids are checked by the Evaluation Committee. If substantial differences are found, experts
are contacted to explain. Sometimes another pair of experts is involved; sometimes Evaluation Committee
members make assessment themselves. Complex guidelines for quality assessment were developed on
the basis of experience gained through implementation of calls for proposals.
Estonia - Three members of the Evaluation Committee were proposed initially in the Intermediary bid,
subsequently increased to 13. The experts were invited to the Committee on the basis of already
established links and recommendations from ministries. The main requirement for the assessor was
expertise in priority areas of the call and link with the civil society sector. A prerequisite was no connection
with the applicant organisations. The assessors were approved by the Intermediary board. Before an
assessment session, a meeting with experts is organised to explain criteria and share lessons learned.
After two rounds, guidelines for assessment were prepared. Each application is assessed by three
assessors. For the top ranking projects, a meeting with all assessors is organised. They discuss projects,
especially those with scoring differences, however the assessors are not forced to change views.
Poland – In case of the two NGO Funds – Equal Opportunities and Social Integration Fund and
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, each application was assessed by two external
assessors, who had to carry out their assessment at the Intermediary. Difference in scoring of 20%
between two assessors requires third assessment, by the Intermediary. The Steering Committee was
given the right to change the position in the ranking list, but in practice they did not intervene in decisions of
the assessors. In case of Democracy and Civil Society Fund, applications received under the micro fund
were assessed by one external assessor, while applications received under small, medium or large size
were assessed by two external assessors. If the overall scoring differed by more than 30% a third external
assessor assessed the application.
Czech Republic- There are 2 independent external assessors appraising each project proposal using a
standard sheet. The average score is then corrected by a ratio coefficient. All sub-projects are then ranked
according to score and selected based on allocations for NUTS II (regional), priorities. There is also a list of
reserve sub-projects created. The Intermediary has a database of assessors but also launches call for
assessors. Assessors are also recommended by ministries and other institutions (National Training
Programme, and others). There are selection criteria for assessors (including e.g. professional experience)
and training is offered. The final list of assessors is discussed in selection committee, and approved by the
Director of The Intermediary. The Intermediary‟s assessment manual is in use in the Ministry of
Environment.
Decision making on selection of sub -projects
Beneficiary states applied different approaches to sub-project selection. In most countries,
Selection Committees received recommendations for funding from the Assessment
Committees and accepted their recommendations. In most countries, the FP staff observe
most selection panels and no concerns have been expressed about the decisions.
The formation or appointment of the Selection Committees varied, with two main
approaches:
 existing structures/bodies of the Intermediary (boards, councils) took on the role, which
was often the case where foundations were the Intermediaries (e.g. Latvia, Estonia,
and Slovakia);
 committees were specifically formed for the NGO Fund (e.g. Romania, Poland,
Lithuania, Slovenia, and Bulgaria).
As noted above in this section, specific scoring cut off points were used to draw up the list
of applications that could be considered eligible for funding, on the basis of the
assessment criteria. Clearly, where the number of eligible applications passing that
threshold exceeds the funds available, the main task of the selection committee is to
prioritise and decide on the final selection of sub-project awards. As noted in the case of
Poland above, the Steering Committee could alter the position of projects in the ranking
list. This approach is seen in many grants programmes, where there is an interest in
funding against a strategic set of criteria, such as regional coverage, or to fund projects
26 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
from types of organisations or groups which may otherwise be under-represented in the
portfolio of funded projects.
Notification of the applicants about the results of assessment and
selection process
All rejected applicants were informed about the outcome of their application; however,
there are differences in the amount of feedback given to the rejected applicants. One of
the issues noted by the Intermediary in Cyprus was that NGOs had difficulties in writing
clear proposals, and were rejected on the basis of lack of clarity. This is a particular area
which can be helped through detailed feedback.
Examples of good practice were the Estonian NGO Fund, the Hungarian NGO Fund, the
Czech NGO Fund and the two Polish NGO Funds,43 where unsuccessful applicants
received detailed feedback on why their sub-projects were not approved for funding or
what risks were identified that prevented funding. In the Polish NGO Funds, applicants
received a detailed assessment of how they had met the criteria and their total scores (but
not individual scores per criterion). From the detailed assessment, the rejected applicants
had an opportunity to learn about their mistakes, and correct these in submissions made
under new calls for proposals. As a result, some applicants who had earlier been rejected
won sub-projects in later calls, and the Intermediaries considered this as a good
demonstration of the learning process and indirect capacity building.44 In the Czech Fund,
all unsuccessful applicants received a letter informing about formal reasons for rejection
but after signature of contracts with successful applicants, the unsuccessful applicants
could arrange a meeting (or phone call) with a chairman of a selection committee to find
out more details about how their application was appraised.
The best practice Intermediaries tried to emphasise the positive aspects of the applications
and made suggestions as to what could be improved for future applications, on the basis
of comments and suggestions made by the assessors. Where applicants were still not
happy about the initial feedback, Intermediaries exhibiting the best practice allowed
requests for further information. Intermediary staff also advised on opportunities from other
more appropriate funds. Good practice suggests, as the Polish example demonstrates,
that a failure to achieve grants can be used as learning for applicant organisations and in
strengthening the capacities of NGOs in applying for grants.
Approved sub-projects compared to number of application.
From the 14,810 applications received (as at February 2010), 1697 sub-projects were
approved. Across the entirety of the 19 Funds, this is an approval rate of 9.5%. However,
this overall rate hides some significant differences. Although the data given below is not
disaggregated for specific Funds in all countries, an overall country approval rate
compared to the number of applications can be arrived at. This ranges from 37% in
Slovakia to 8.2% in Poland. The percentage of successful applications to the number of
applications received may be a function of a number of variables, including the ease of the
application process, where a less complex process could encourage more NGOs to apply,
the clarity of the criteria,45 to the availability of other funds to the NGO sector.
The significant number of applications in many countries would suggest that these NGO
Funds are filling an important funding gap. It may also suggest that tighter criteria could be
drawn for the Funds. However, no firm conclusions can be drawn from this data at this
43
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Fund and Equal Opportunities and Social Integration Fund.
44
This was also apparent with the Hungarian NGO Fund.
45
Other funds that members of the core team have evaluated have demonstrated that where schemes are widely
publicised, criteria are broadly drawn, and appear to offer access for a wide variety of applicants and sub-projects, the
number of applications rises and the ratio of successful applications to the total number of applications falls (see, for
instance: Ministry of Justice Innovation Fund Evaluation (UK), Christine Forrester and Sarah del Tufo, November 2009).
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 27
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
stage. Further analysis of unsuccessful applications in each beneficiary state would enable
a more detailed analysis of the possible reasons for the low ratio of successful applicants
to the overall number of applications, but this was not undertaken for this evaluation.
Overall time frames for the assessment and decision -maki ng process
NGO Funds set different time frames for the completion of the assessment and decision
making processes. In Estonia, this was approximately two months, and in Latvia four
months. For more than half the questionnaire respondents, the application process was
completed within the expected time, while for a quarter of respondents it took longer than
expected (see Figure 7). From the responses to the questionnaire, the process was
finished in the expected time in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary NGO Fund,46
Slovakia, Poland, and Latvia. In Lithuania, the process lasted longer due to public
controversy as many rejected applicants complained about the selection results, which
resulted in the suspension of the selection process. However, after investigations, the
National Monitoring Committee found no irregularities in the processes and confirmed the
ranking list.
Figure 7 Expectation of time to process applications
Source: 409 questionnaire responses.
Time frames should be reasonable, to allow both sufficient time for applicants to prepare
applications and for thorough and detailed assessments to be carried out, without undue
time pressures on assessors. Where applicants are informed in the application packs as
to the expected time when they will hear about the results of their applications, as far as
possible these time frames should be adhered to. That nearly 25% of applicants noted
that the time frame was longer than expected suggests that either time frames were
unrealistic when advised to applicants, or that delays in the processes precluded timely
decision-making.
Transparency of assessment process
Just over three-quarters of questionnaire respondents saw the assessment process as
transparent or very transparent (see Figure 8). The 6% of respondents, who assessed it
as not transparent or not transparent at all, were from Slovenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Poland, Latvia, Portugal and Hungary. This is a very small percentage, and as it is
distributed across a number of countries, suggests that overall, the processes were
transparent. The distribution of assessment criteria with application forms, and also
detailed feedback to unsuccessful applicants, are important in ensuring the transparency
of processes.
46
But not the Hungarian Environmental Fund.
28 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Figure 8 Transparency of assessment process
Source: 399 questionnaire responses.
Overall views on the application process
Overall, respondents mainly noted that the application process was comparable to that of
other funders, and in particular that it
was simpler than that those of the EU Box 6. End beneficiary comments on
funds (noted across a number of application process
countries) but more complex than those - BG: Simpler than EU programmes and more
of some independent foundations (such complicated compared to US donor programmes
as Trust for Civil Society in CEE). A (Trust for Civil Society in CEE, Balkan Trust for
Democracy), guidelines and application form were
number of specific examples of clear enough compared to other programmes;
comments are given in Box 6. It is - CY: Easy and understandable, faster and effective,
noted that some comments specifically better than other application procedures; minor
mention that in some countries, the problems mentioned regarding request for specific
documents, delays in releasing details of successful
process was not easy for some types of end beneficiaries.
47
NGOs. As the types of NGO - CZ: Easier than EU Structural Funds, more
commenting that the processes were demanding compared to Czech donors,
complex have not been disaggregated administratively demanding;
in the analysis, it is not possible to - EE: Similar to others, smooth, easy and
understandable, quick and professional, but to
extrapolate whether larger and more some end beneficiaries also difficult, complicated,
experienced NGOs experienced fewer requesting many details and with repeating
difficulties than smaller NGOs. questions.
- HU NGO Fund: Simple, easier, quicker, flexible;
- LT: No significant differences, long evaluation
process,
From the perspective of the - LV: High competition, but the application process is
Intermediaries, practically all of the clear and simple, understandable; but to some
NGO Funds were faced with a large respondents also complicated and in some parts
number of applications, and the more bureaucratic than other programmes;
- PT: Comparable, easy, but to some NGOs also
majority of these have undergone both complex and demanding;
the administrative compliance and - PL: Simple and clear; user friendly, comparable,
eligibility check, and the quality transparent, less formalised
assessment process. This proved to - RO: Simpler, better, comparable, but to some
respondents also more complicated;
be costly and time consuming. Some - SK: Comparable, quicker, user friendly application
Intermediaries are therefore already process;
considering alternative approaches, for - SI: More requirements than financing from national
instance introducing a two-stage budget, better conditions of the grant, good
application process, with an initial organisation.
47
It should be noted that in Slovakia, the application process was viewed positively by respondents, and it was post grant
award administration that was identified as problematic.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 29
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
outline submission, to be followed by a full application. As an example, under the third call
for proposals of the Hungarian NGO Fund, applicants were requested to submit sub-
project ideas as outlines or expressions of interest. These were assessed, and successful
applicants at this first stage were invited to participate in a project development workshop.
Following this workshop, they were invited to submit full proposals.
3.3.6 Contracting process
For most of the NGO Funds, the contracting process was carried out efficiently and
smoothly. Exceptions were the Hungarian Environmental Fund and the Lithuanian NGO
Fund,48 both of which experienced delays. There was a nine-month delay in finalising the
contracts under the Hungarian Environmental Fund due to differences in the interpretation
of rules, procedures and responsibilities between the Focal Point and the Intermediary.49
The contracting phase usually included the checking of sub-project budgets, and
negotiations with end beneficiaries in relation to any conditions set by the Selection
Committees. In Romania, the Intermediary made pre-contracting visits wherever a
potential risk was indicated, and assessors could recommend these visits. Some
Intermediaries introduced a regular practice of checking for double funding from other
donors and programmes, but this was not characteristic for all NGO Funds.50 In Bulgaria,
double funding checking was undertaken by the Intermediary, who contacted all donors
working in the country and supporting similar activities including Managing Authorities of
the Operational Programmes. This was time-consuming and led to delays in signing
contracts. The risk of double financing was probably not serious, as there were not many
financial resources available for NGOs at that time; however this risk may increase in the
new financial period, with new donors (such as the Swiss contribution) coming to the
beneficiary states.
For most NGO Funds, the contract was signed between the Intermediary and the end
beneficiary. In Slovenia, the grant contract was signed between the Intermediary, the
Focal Point and the end beneficiary. In Lithuania, the contracts were signed between the
Intermediary, the Secretariat and the end beneficiary. To a certain extent this shows a
difference in the level of responsibility given to Intermediaries, and is partly linked to the
arrangement of financial flows as explained earlier.
3.3.7 Co-financing arrangements
As a general rule, the NGO Funds required a 10% contribution to the financing of eligible
costs - these contributions were provided by end beneficiaries and could be in funds or „in-
kind‟. All NGO Funds allowed „in-kind‟ co-financing by the end beneficiaries. Only the
NGO Fund in Bulgaria had different arrangements from the NGO Fund-set up. The share
of „in-kind‟ co-financing was defined either as a percentage of the end beneficiary‟s
co-financing or as a percentage of total eligible costs, and ranged from 2% to maximum
20% of total eligible costs.
Countries developed their own solutions and procedures for checking and approving the
„in-kind‟ contribution and were sometimes faced with difficulties due to lack of experience
in this area. In Romania, „in-kind‟ contributions (except for voluntary work) needed to be
evaluated by an independent authorised expert. In Latvia, maximum rates were set for as
proxy hourly fees for volunteers, and income and expenses of the „in-kind‟ work had to be
48
The reasons for delays in Lithuania are given under section ‟Overall time frames ...‟, page 22.
49
This delay and other complications with this Fund led to the setting up of the separate NGO Fund in Hungary.
50
In Portugal, approved applications were cross-checked with the projects financed by the European Social Fund,
National Social Security Institute and Portuguese Youth Institute. In Estonia, approved sub-projects were checked with
the National Foundation for Civil Society and other donors were also informed; the Intermediary checked the
applications with other funds and measures for which they are responsible.
30 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
evidenced from accountancy records. In Slovakia end beneficiaries have to show
co-financing not as a sum across a year, but for every month of the year, which caused
difficulties, and consequently they did not use the „in-kind‟ contributions at all because of
their concerns about levels of proof.
3.3.8 Payments to end beneficiaries
All NGO Funds used some type of advance payment to end beneficiaries, which could be
made up to 80% of the total grant, but the arrangements differed. An analysis of payment
systems is given in Annex 8. Common solutions were as follows:
 for small-scale sub-projects, an 80% advance was paid after signature of the
contract (Estonia, Poland);
 the majority of grants were paid in advance, but instalment procedures were used,
that were defined according to the size of a grant, sub-project duration, etc. If the
sub-project duration was more than one year, the advance payment was usually
paid out in two or more instalments.
The end beneficiaries and Intermediaries agree that the possibility of advance payment
was of key importance for the NGOs to be able to implement sub-projects.
Some NGO Funds requested guarantees for receipt of an advance payment (Lithuania). In
most cases, the first advance payments were paid out relatively quickly, but differences
exist. In Romania, an advance payment was executed within 30 days after start of the
contract (not signature of the contract), and normally it was paid out in 3-4 days; in Latvia it
took up to 10 days; in Estonia 5 days; in Hungary one week under the NGO Fund and 60
days under the Environmental NGO Fund with other delays reported; and in the Czech
Republic within 15 days. Some delays occurred in Lithuania, where payments were made
in 5-6 weeks.
Nearly two thirds of respondents did not experience any delays or problems in receiving
grant instalments (advance and further instalments), while 16% did. Some delays were
reported in Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania,51 Poland, and a severe delay of 6 months in
Portugal, where in addition, there are still open issues related to the payment of the yearly
national contribution (15%) to the Environmental Fund Intermediary. There was an
agreement made on the signing of the MoU that the Paying Authority would support the
contribution as the Intermediary itself has no state budget for the NGO sub-projects,
however this obligations has not yet been fulfilled.
Very few respondents reported delays in Hungary in relation to the NGO Fund,52 Romania
and Bulgaria. It should be noted that these three NGO Funds were managed by NGO
Intermediaries directly contracted to the FMO, received their funds directly from the FMO,
and were empowered to make payments to the end beneficiaries without the intervention
of a state agency.
Implementation systems differed in other countries in the arrangement of the money flow
to the end beneficiaries. For the majority of NGO Funds, payment to the end beneficiaries
was the responsibility of the Intermediary and the most common system was where the
Intermediary received funds for re-granting from the Paying Authority upon receipt of the
money from the FMO. There were some exceptions where payments to end beneficiaries
51
In Lithiania, the end beneficiaries received payment after 5-6 weeks from the date of submitting the payment claim on
average (depending how accurately they filled in the payment claims). The first payment claims took a bit longer to
process. The Secretariat and Ministry of Finance have put in place certain measures to simplify the payment procedure
and to reduce the time between the submission of payment claim and actual payment (from 5-6 weeks to 2-3 weeks).
Partial payment was introduced, i.e. the whole payment is not withheld due to mistakes or missing documentation. This
speeded up the process.
52
Some were the fault of the end beneficiary.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 31
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
were made directly by the Paying Authority. Interviews indicated that these systems
usually took more time and were therefore less efficient than the arrangements in
Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, which were seen to be the most efficient and to result in
the least delays in payment. Examples are presented schematically in Annex 8, together
with processing of Project Interim Reports (PIR).
3.3.9 Reporting arrangements at the sub-project level
In general, all of the NGO Funds set similar requirements regarding reporting. In most
cases quarterly reporting was agreed; however, in Hungary, the Environmental NGO Fund
introduced 6-month reporting. A sub-project completion report was also required in all
countries. There were differences in the amount of documentation that was required to be
submitted with reports, but most of the NGO Funds required full technical and financial
reports in each reporting period.
However, some NGO Funds employed simplified procedures,53 and this required full
engagement of the end beneficiary and Intermediary from the very start, to establish
proper sub-project administration to avoid later problems that could arise because of lack
of evidence. Some NGO Funds have made reporting for small-scale sub-projects a little
less demanding (fewer reports were required, but with the same reporting formats).
The periodicity of sub-project reporting is critical. Where six-monthly reporting was used in
the Hungarian Environmental Fund, and sub-project monitoring visits were only made after
the submission of the first report, any problems arising in project implementation were only
picked up late. As monitoring and reporting are the key means by which sub-project
progress can be measured and any problems dealt with in a timely fashion, six-monthly
reporting may be too long for effective sub-project support.
The specified financial accounting procedures did not appear difficult for the end
beneficiaries to establish, with 84% of respondents having found it very easy, easy or
relatively easy, while for only 16% it was fairly difficult or difficult (see Figure 9).
Figure 9 Ease of accounting process
Source:396 questionnaire responses.
53
In Poland, financial reporting required end beneficiaries to provide only a table of expenses clearly showing an audit trail
without supporting documents. These are part of on-the-spot checks. In Latvia, quarterly reporting was simplified. An
informative implementation report with an extract from the accountant books was required. The Intermediary was
obliged to check the report within 10 work days (usually it is done in 5 days). Supporting documentation related to
content and finance was submitted only once with the final report. It was estimated that 85% of sub-project final reports
were processed in 70 days.
32 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Support to enable end beneficiaries to meet the financial reporting requirements was said
by 91% of respondents to have been made available. The 9% of respondents who felt that
they did not receive support, came from all the beneficiary states except the Hungary NGO
Fund, Latvia and Romania. The wide country spread does not suggest any specific
failures on the part of any individual Intermediary. All of the Intermediaries, however,
would state that they offered help with the reporting process.
3.3.10 Monitoring and evaluation
In the main, respondents did not find it difficult to undertake the sub-project monitoring
process (see Figure 10).
Figure 10 Ease of monitoring
Source: 364 questionnaire responses.
Three quarters of the 355 respondents were able to access support to carry out sub-
project monitoring, but one quarter stated that they did not receive support. More than half
of those not able to receive support thought that this would have been helpful. The 25% of
respondents, who felt that they did not receive support, came from all the countries except
Latvia and Romania. Again, the wide country spread does not suggest any specific
failures on the part of any individual Intermediary. All of the Intermediaries, however,
stated that they offered help with the monitoring process.
There was no common approach to the monitoring of sub-project achievements at the
level of NGO Funds. Intermediaries developed their own systems for monitoring and
selected certain indicators, on which sub-projects were required to report during project
implementation. Intermediaries were aware that the aggregation of results was not always
easy, as the sub-project activities differed significantly.
As well as different reporting arrangements, Intermediaries also developed different
approaches to carrying out on-the-spot monitoring, with visits to sub-projects. Some
decided to carry out at least one sub-project visit within the project lifetime, others set a
minimum proportion of end beneficiaries to be visited. In such cases, priorities for visits
were usually determined after the receipt of the first reports, when sub-projects with
potential risks were identified.
In Portugal, monitoring activities have been particularly affected by a low level of sub-
project completion, resulting from the fact that end beneficiaries so far have only received
25-30% funding. Although the relationship between the end beneficiaries and
Intermediaries has been positive and constructive, frequent modifications and lack of
clarity in reporting procedures has been exacerbated by delays in payment, which has
created some tensions between them. The end beneficiaries have been placed in a
difficult situation, which may cause serious difficulties in the effective completion of the
sub-projects.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 33
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
According to responses to the questionnaire, 65% claimed to be required to carry out
evaluation work, and 63% of those were provided support; however, 16% of the
respondents did not reply to this question. In relation to this response, much depends on
what has been understood by the term ”evaluation” as evaluative evidence of the
difference being made by the projects is not readily available in most of the beneficiary
states. So far not many Intermediaries have carried out any external evaluation work. The
exceptions are Poland, where an external evaluation of the Democracy and Civil Society
Fund was undertaken, and in Hungary, for the NGO Fund. The NGOs in Latvia with
support of the Norwegian Embassy and Society Integration organised an evaluation of the
NGO Funds in late April 2010. An evaluation is planned in the Czech Republic.
Some analytical work on data has been undertaken, however, with statistical analyses of
the calls for proposals (for instance in Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic); and in
Latvia, the Intermediary has carried out an external analysis of the opinions of the
applicants and end beneficiaries about the NGO Fund.
The FMO also carries out monitoring, with regular reports on implementation of the NGO
Funds, and has commissioned evaluation work, including this current evaluation.
3.4 MANAGEMENT OF THE NGO FUNDS
This section examines how the Intermediaries were appointed and how they performed,
with a focus on the support to end beneficiaries and arrangement of reporting and payment
at the sub-project levels.
3.4.1 Contracting of Intermediaries
Intermediaries had a crucial role in setting up and managing the NGO Funds. They were
selected in two ways:
a) Public procurement procedure: Cyprus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary NGO Fund,54 Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
b) Direct appointment: Latvia, Portugal, Hungary Environmental Fund, Lithuania.55
The Intermediaries selected following the public procurement procedure are mainly
organisations that can be defined as non-governmental, not-for-profit organisations (NGOs
or foundations or the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, a
public organisation of international character, independent from the direct influence of
governments on its operations and fulfilment of its mission).56 Consortia of partner
organisations act as the Intermediaries in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary (NGO Fund).
Private sector bodies were engaged for the implementation of three NGO Funds - the
Environmental and Equal Opportunities and Social Integration Funds in Poland and the
NGO Fund in Cyprus.
Ministries were engaged as Intermediaries for the NGO Funds in Lithuania and in Hungary
for the Environmental NGO Fund. In Portugal, one Intermediary is a public agency within
the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning and the other is a public agency under
the Secretary of State for Equality. In Latvia, the Intermediary is a public foundation
established by the government. In total, six of the 19 NGO Funds were managed by public
(governmental) bodies acting as Intermediaries in four beneficiary states.
54
The four NGOs in the consortium acting as the Intermediary for the Hungarian NGO Fund were all approached
individually and asked to apply to the FMO. Discussions with the FMO allowed the formation of the consortium.
55
In Lithuania the institutional structure for the NGO Fund differs from all other NGO Funds as the Focal Point also acts as
the Intermediary. The Intermediary is supported by a Secretariat, which was selected on the basis of a public
procurement procedure.
56
Their specific legal status depends on the legal frameworks and jurisdictions within which they operate.
34 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
There were three NGO Funds for which the FMO directly contracted the Intermediaries
(Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary NGO Fund), while for other Funds the contracts were
signed between the Focal Point and the Intermediary.
3.4.2 Intermediary performance
Operating in the country context
FMO guidelines describe the responsibilities of the Intermediary to a certain extent.
However, the different national frameworks and contexts within which the Intermediaries
operated, and some differences in the interpretation of guidelines and documentation did
influence and affect the performance of the Intermediaries. Legislation or regulations in
some countries, such as Latvia, required the conformity of the NGO Funds to the
processes and compliance requirements of the main EEA and Norway Grants, or
conformity with other funding programmes, such as the EU Structural Funds.
Some difficulties were also experienced in the understanding, and clarification of the
responsibilities and roles of the institutions involved in NGO Fund management.57 In some
countries, there were differences of interpretation of the guidelines. Where there was no
direct communication between an Intermediary and the FMO, and the Focal Point had
responsibility for communicating interpretations to the Intermediary, this in some instances
did cause problems. In some cases, Intermediaries reported unreasonable requirements
placed on them, in the name of fulfilling FMO rules, which appeared to be an interpretation
by the Focal Point of these guidelines, rather than the actuality of the FMO guidelines.
However, both Focal Points and Intermediaries noted that the FMO guidelines appeared to
be unclear and open to interpretation.
Flexibility
How much flexibility could therefore be introduced into the management of the NGO
Funds, with consequent effects on performance, therefore depended on the relationship of
the Intermediary to the FMO, to the Focal Point and to any other intermediary agencies
involved, such as a national Paying Authority. Public bodies (ministries and governmental
agencies) usually needed to follow set internal administrative procedures, which can
lessen the flexibility available to them in the management of these types of funds, both
acting as Intermediaries and also in their role as other state bodies with overall
responsibility for the Funds; however, this cannot be set as a rule. Whilst it is important to
ensure that appropriate control measures are in place to guard against misappropriation or
corrupt use of funds, the burden on NGOs, both in applying for grants and in implementing
sub-projects has been seen as excessive in some countries. In relation to flexibility, there
were also national procurement laws to be considered. However, over-burdensome
bureaucracy does not necessarily equate with efficient Fund management
The interviews with Intermediaries and Focal Points in Slovakia and Hungary
(Environmental Fund) indicated that these NGO Funds faced difficulties as a result of the
Intermediaries being obliged to follow the regulations set for EU funding (especially the
57
In Portugal there was a delay of 6 months on average in payments to end beneficiaries due to different interpretation of
the MoU between the Intermediary and the Paying Authority. Only in December 2009 was a document produced that
defined the communication flow and responsibilities between the FP, Paying Authority and Intermediaries, but
apparently this has not contributed significantly to solving the payment issues. The structure of the Funds, the
organisational model and responsibilities of the involved actors are not clear in practice, which ultimately negatively
affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the end beneficiaries. In Hungary, the Environmental NGO Fund experienced
a 9-month delay in the contracting phase due to different interpretation of rules, procedures and responsibilities of the
Focal Point and the Intermediary.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 35
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Structural Funds).58 In Portugal, one of the Intermediaries noted that the Fund
management by the Focal Point and, in particular, by the Paying Agency, was close to the
model of the European Social Fund, where reimbursement of expenditure and not advance
payment is the norm. The Paying Authority that deals with NGO Funds in Portugal is also
managing the European Social Fund and has shown difficulties in incorporating the
advance payment system of the NGO Funds into its processes, which has led to major
delays in the execution of advance payments to sub-projects.
There has been some good practice identified as well, which has demonstrated how
flexibility in NGO Funds management has been able to benefit the sub-projects. The
Intermediary in Romania found implementation of the NGO Fund to be a significantly
better experience than that of previous public funds. It was able to obtain specific facilities
for the NGO Fund grants:
 Permission to make payments in Euro, in order to avoid exchange rate differences and
related losses for end beneficiaries;
 Exemption from the provisions of the public procurement law, which can be very
difficult to apply in terms of paperwork and procedural deadlines;
 Exemption from the legal provisions concerning state aid.
 Where the funding comes into the state budget but is treated separately as funding
from a foreign donor - a ring-fenced National Programme
Flexibility in management is therefore likely to have had an effect on the performance of
the Intermediaries. Particularly in Hungary and Romania, where a consortium of NGOs
acted as the Intermediary, the Fund management was regarded as efficient, due in part to
their use of a flexible and less bureaucratic implementation system. It was possible for this
to be introduced as these consortia were directly contracted by the FMO.
Different types of Intermediaries
The establishment of an NGO consortium as the Intermediary has many benefits, and
these were seen in the countries where these operated. The combined knowledge and
experience of NGO partners from different thematic areas or regions, increases the
knowledge available for the grant-making process. However, tasks must be clearly
allocated and defined between the partners, and co-ordination ensured, otherwise there is
a risk of an inconsistent approach. In the countries where consortia worked as the
Intermediaries, good practice in working in partnership in a consortium was seen, and
there was both efficient and effective management of all of the Fund processes.
Good management efficiency for both Intermediaries in Poland (one an NGO, one a
private company) was recognised by end beneficiaries as well as by the Norwegian
Embassy and Focal Point. The end beneficiaries stated that the private company had
lacked sufficient understanding of NGO sector at the start, but they learnt very quickly and
proved to be responsive and supportive to the NGOs. These comments need to be
viewed in the context of the established implementation system. Although the
Intermediaries were appointed by the Polish Focal Point, there was no double or triple
administrative and financial controls undertaken by different bodies, and payment
processes to NGOs proceeded smoothly, avoiding cash flow problems for the sub-project
implementers.
Where more than one NGO Fund operated in a beneficiary state, with different
Intermediaries, interviews with the Intermediaries indicated that there was not much
communication and exchange of experience between them. The few meetings that were
organised at international level for the Intermediaries within the EEA and Norway Grants
58
In Slovakia, the government decided to harmonise procedures for all financial mechanisms in order to enable endl
beneficiaries to use identical reporting regardless of the financial sources and to avoid exclusion of some potential end
beneficiaries. This has resulted in an administrative burden for all funding comparable to EU funds.
36 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
were much appreciated (e.g. conference organised by FMO in Oslo in May 2009), as
enabling an exchange of information that could assist with the development of efficient
practice.
Some countries, such as Estonia and Slovakia, have developed practices of managing
information flow and coordination between Intermediaries and a number of different
stakeholders,59 which are intended to assist efficient management of the NGO Funds.
Support to end beneficiaries in implementation
All Intermediaries supported the end beneficiaries in the implementation of their sub-
projects. The main types of support included:
 consultancy and advice regarding implementation (individual, phone, e-mail, visits)
 organisation of specific seminars
Box 7. Quality of assistance provided by
(e.g. procurement, accounting);
Intermediaries
 regular publication of frequently
Positive
asked questions (FAQ);  the Intermediary is very keen in assisting the end
beneficiaries, the staff are supportive, flexible, easy
The majority of end beneficiaries who to communicate with (Latvia);
returned the questionnaires appreciated  the Intermediary has provided quick and prompt
the assistance provided by their replies to clarification questions and that they have
maintained full availability, competent advice,
Intermediaries. Again in the Focus flexible and open (Romania)
Groups and interviews this support was  the Intermediary treated applicants and
noted. However, some end beneficiaries as equal partners, it was always
beneficiaries assessed the support available for questions, it knew the NGOs, the
status of the sub-project, there was a permanent
being provided to them as not as
communication with beneficiaries, therefore a
efficient and effective as it could be (see simplified reporting system was enough and it
Box 7). Effective support of end could be more flexible with any change in the sub-
beneficiaries can ensure that sub- project. Times schedules were always met
projects keep on track and deliver (Hungary NGO Fund).
results, as well as assisting with the Negative
 Different interpretation occasionally of
capacity building of the end
management procedures between the central and
beneficiaries. Where there are specific
regional partners (Romania);
contractual obligations required of end
 Sometimes insufficient understanding of NGO
beneficiaries, good practice suggests specificities (Latvia);
that workshops on these obligations,  Slow response, and delays (ENV Fund Hungary);
such as procurement, accounting and  Administration of the sub-projects is demanding
monitoring and reporting, can help to and complicated, and the requirements for large
ensure contract compliance. These and small sub-projects are the same (Lithuania).
workshops were a feature of the
stronger Intermediaries.
Overall efficiency of Intermediary m anagement arrangements
The majority of the Intermediaries were recognised by key stakeholders, the Focal Points,
the Donor Embassies, and the end beneficiaries as operating in an efficient and
satisfactory way. The only exceptions to this were the Hungarian Environmental Fund,
and the Citizenship and Civil Society Fund in Portugal.
59
In Estonia, a Steering Committee was set up as a counselling body. It has no decision-making power, but gives advice
in practical matters, such as publicity, application forms, and irregularities. Its members inform each other about
activities. Composition: Open Estonia Foundation board representative (Intermediary), Focal Point, Norwegian
Embassy, NGO representative, Ministry of Internal Affairs (responsible for the NGO sector). The meetings are more of
an informal nature and take place approximately twice a year. In Slovakia, following difficulties in the implementation
and harmonisation of procedures, a working group consisting of all the Intermediaries, the National Focal Point and the
Paying Authority was set up. The group has met every three months since December 2008 to solve deficiencies, and to
identify improvements/simplifications for the future programming period.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 37
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.5 ACHIEVEMENT OF NGO FUND OBJECTIVES
This Section examines the achievement of overall NGO Fund objectives and the objectives
at sub-project level.
The majority of sub-projects are still in progress and their results are not available yet.
However, some indications of results were offered by Intermediaries and by the end
beneficiaries that responded to the questionnaires. Table 5 shows the percentage of sub-
projects completed and the percentages of returned questionnaires, which demonstrates
the validity of findings from the completed sub-projects. The situation differs strongly
between countries, and details are described by country and NGO Fund in Annex 3. First,
an overview is presented in the next Section, 3.5.1; and then a description of the progress
in capacity building in given in Section 3.5.2; the results by sub-sector in 3.5.3, and
visibility of NGO Funds in 3.5.4.
Table 5 Sub-projects completed, by country
% of questionnaire % of
Number of
responses of questionnaire
% of sub- questionnaire
Completed Uncompleted completed sub- responses of
Country projects responses for
sub-projects sub-projects projects (of completed sub-
completed completed
completed sub- projects (of all
sub-projects
projects) sub-projects)
BG 4 57 6.6 2 50.0 3.3
CY 0 33 0.0 0 0.0 0.0
CZ 91 121 42.9 16 17.6 7.5
EE 79 76 50.9 17 21.5 11.0
HU 64 172 27.1 9 14.1 3.8
LV 73 92 44.2 9 12.3 5.4
LT 0 106 0.0 0 0.00 0.0
PL 329 228 59.1 70 21.3 12.6
PT 0 30 0.0 0 0.0 0.0
RO 1 45 2.2 1 100.0 2.2
SK 6 81 6.9 1 16.7 1.1
SI 19 21 47.5 7 36.8 17.5
ALL 666 1062 38.5 132 19.8 7.7
3.5.1 Overall achievement of objectives
The strategic level objective of the EEA and Norway NGO Grants to reduce social and
economic disparities cannot be expected to be achieved through the NGO Funds in each
beneficiary state, as NGO sectors by their very nature cannot be prime instigators of
strategies and initiatives that will lead to this reduction. NGOs can only be part of the
solution, but the strengthening of NGO capacities can in the longer term serve to highlight
and contribute towards the solution of societal problems. It is within this context that the
overall achievement of objectives needs to be seen.
The results achieved cover a wide range of different thematic areas. The only common
results reported for nearly all NGO Funds are NGO institutional capacity strengthening and
increased public awareness. Themes covered in awareness raising campaigns included
all the sectors supported by the FMO, but not in all countries.
The majority of the results reported were specific to individual sub-projects spread over 36
different thematic areas and these were difficult to aggregate under the NGO Funds‟
overall objectives. The contribution to a higher objective is also difficult to estimate
because the sub-projects were mainly small (with only 8.3% of sub-projects having
budgets of more than €100,000 (139 sub-projects in Poland and two in Portugal), and
spread across a wide geographical area. However, despite the small scale of many sub-
projects, the feedback provided by different stakeholders in each beneficiary state noted
38 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
that the results of these small sub-projects were important for local communities, in
ensuring and maintaining the presence of active NGOs at a local level. By enabling
applicants with less capacity, the NGO Funds penetrated to local environments, through
supporting grass-root NGOs and their sub-projects aiming to solve local problems. In
addition to this local impact, there is some evidence of advocacy work and public
awareness in terms of developing new legislation and national media awareness
campaigns, though this will take longer to evidence.
Table 6 provides an overview assessment of the achievement of NGO Fund objectives in
each beneficiary state, together with an indication of results in capacity building, and
increasing public awareness, and the percentage of questionnaire respondents that
believed that they had achieved their sub-project objectives reasonably, well, or very well.
This table is however based on relatively subjective views, rather than on an independent
detailed examination of the results of all of the funded and completed projects in each
beneficiary state. The perceptions of the end beneficiaries are their own and may over- or
under-estimate their achievements or longer-term impact. Also they may be based on
achieving the planned outputs rather than outcomes and impact.60
Table 6 Self evaluation summary of sub-projects, of their perceived achievement
of NGO Fund objectives
Capacity Public Evaluation of Questionnaire respondents
built awareness achievement view of success
Beneficiary state and NGO
raised of overall
Fund % % % very
NGO Fund No.
mod. good good
objective
BG NGO Fund 30 6 87 6
CY NGO Fund - - - - - - -
CZ NGO Fund 44 57 39 5
EE NGO Fund 7 12
HU NGO Fund -
Environmental NGO 55 25 34 40
Fund
NGO Fund
LV NGO Fund - Society 17 6 65 29
-
Integration Fund
LT NGO Fund 20 25 40 35
NGO Fund – Equal
Opportunities and Soc.
Integr.
NGO Fund –
Democracy and Civil
PL 110 8 66 25
Society
NGO Fund –
Environmental
Protection and Sust.
Dev.
NGO Fund –
Citizenship and Human
PT Rights
National Environmental
NGO Fund
RO NGO Fund - - - - - - -
NGO Fund – Social
Inclusion
SK NGO Fund – Human 20 20 60 30
-
Rights
NGO Fund – Sust. Dev.
SI NGO Fund 9 1 3 55
60
Outcomes, the difference the sub-projects and the NGO Funds make; outputs, the numbers of activities, people
involved, pamphlets written etc.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 39
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Much depends on whether “success” for the NGO Funds is seen in aggregate - that is over
all of the separate country Funds- or disaggregated to look at the achievements in each
beneficiary state. It should be noted that, as described earlier in this report, the objectives
of each Fund in each beneficiary state were different, and common indicators were not set
for the Funds. Without baselines, it is challenging to assert change in relation to funding
interventions; without common indicators, it is difficult to assess the success of one Fund
against another.
3.5.2 Capacity building of NGOs
Capacity building is the most important common factor across the NGO Funds. All the
Intermediaries, with the exception of Cyprus, reported strengthened capacity of the NGOs
in their countries.61 In Romania, there was no concrete evidence of increased capacity as
yet, as all, with the exception of one sub-project, are still being implemented. However,
the Intermediary states that increased capacity can be expected, as 30% of the grants
within the NGO Fund there could be specifically applied to capacity building initiatives.
In answer to the question “How far the process of applying for and receiving this grant
helped to build organisations‟ capacity in regard to other similar grant processes and in
relation to other funders‟ programmes?” more than half of 250 respondents believed that
the NGO Funds helped them in capacity building (30% believed the NGO Funds‟
contribution was very significant and another 34% believed it was significant). Another
26% believed that their capacity was moderately improved, while 10% did not think that the
NGO Funds improved their capacity much or at all (see Figure 11).
Figure 11 Respondents view of capacity building
Source: 250 questionnaire responses.
Different types of capacity building interventions were used in different beneficiary states.
These included:
 Workshops organised by the Intermediary, particularly for training sub-projects in
contract compliance issues;
 Specific areas in the criteria for sub-projects, which encouraged capacity building
elements to be built into sub-projects themselves;
 Using the monitoring process, specific consultancy and access to Intermediary staff
during sub-project implementation to work with end beneficiaries on specific issues
and problems.
61
Cyprus did not report on capacity strengthening because sub-projects were not completed at the time of the evaluation.
The Intermediary reported that the NGO Fund provides for a very good opportunity to build capacity as NGOs are
requested to resubmit their reports in the case that there are any omissions or lack of clarity both in the progress reports
and in the financial reports. Also the assistance provided by the Intermediary is a good opportunity for end beneficiaries
to develop their project management and reporting capacity.
40 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Latvia (see Box 8) directly supported Box 8. Examples of capacity building – Latvia
capacity building, through allowing NGOs Whilst only 28 sub-projects were completed by the
to train their staff, and provision of study time of evaluation under the „Strengthening capacity‟,
tours, equipment etc. In the Czech measures included training of staff and members of
NGOs in accountancy, public procurement,
Republic, workshops were organised by languages, and voluntary work under 51 sub-projects
the Intermediary for applicants and end (258 people participated in training).
beneficiaries (covering topics such as As a result, NGOs gained 51 new members and
project preparation, monitoring, reporting, developed two certified educational programmes.
etc.). In the remaining eight countries, After sub-project completion, 15 NGOs developed or
improved their web sites and databases of clients,
capacity building and NGO system
three developed strategies, 23 bought equipment, 12
improvements were achieved through on- undertook renovation work and two provided access
the-job learning through sub-project for disabled.
preparation, implementation and In addition, 288 activities under the „Activity Support‟
reporting. Estonia developed a system Measure included training of staff and members in
whereby NGOs increased their agriculture, environment, tax, accounting, project
development and management, and work with
organisational capacities, by contributing socially excluded groups. Five organisations
to activities that help NGOs develop clear improved their equipment; NGOs attracted 120 new
visions of their development and sub- members and established two new legal entities.
projects, and also involving volunteers.
The Intermediary reported that the organisation of the sector was strengthened, compared
to the period before the NGO Fund. For the Hungary NGO Fund, a “top-down” approach
for sub-project generation was replaced with a “bottom-up” approach, through encouraging
NGO applicants to consult with and involve community level partners and end
beneficiaries. In Slovenia, the Intermediary organised various workshops on sub-project
preparation, implementation and reporting for end beneficiary NGOs. Slovenian NGOs in
particular reported that they had gained knowledge on sub-project preparation and writing
sub-project proposals and applications. Through reporting, NGOs have become
accustomed to more rigorous systems, and respondents thought that applying to other
external donor‟s funds (e.g. EU Structural Funds) will be easier for them. Sub-projects
there also enabled NGOs to train new personnel.
Further analysis shows that, based on the experience gained in the NGO Fund process,
some NGOs were able to obtain funding from other financial sources. The largest share
(38%) of NGOs that replied to the question received additional funding from the national
budget. Around 28% of NGOs received funding from foundations operating within their
countries. About 17% of them received funds from external donors (such as the EU) and
13% of NGOs obtained support from external foundations62 (see Figure 12). The results of
this analysis do also reflect the availability of different financial resources in the end
beneficiary states – but do also show that engagement in the NGO Funds as end
beneficiaries may well have increased the ability of some NGOs to achieve funding from
other sources.
62
However, this latter figure should be treated with caution, due to differing availability of funds from external foundations
still operating in the beneficiary states.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 41
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Figure 12 Identification of additional funding
Source: 396 questionnaire responses.
3.5.3 Results by sub-sector
Although it is difficult to fully assess the achievement of the overall objectives of the NGO
Funds, or to assess fully the achievement of objectives at a country level, not least
because sub-projects are still being implemented in many countries, there are some
significant results from sub-projects, which start to show the difference the NGO Funds are
making in relation to the sub-sectors. Some of the main results reported for each of the
sub-sectors supported by the FMO, as reported in the questionnaires, are presented in
Table 7.
Table 7 Examples of sub-project results reported in questionnaires
Subsector Stated results
- Guided professional tours for target groups
- Developed fresco-therapy
- Established system of knowledge transfer through education
European - Established museums, rebuilt museums, new activities of museums (such as drama-
cultural therapy, plays)
heritage - - Exhibitions
general - Increased public awareness through promotion campaigns, visits, public discussions,
- Established websites
- Publishing of books
- Strengthened capacity through higher inclusion of volunteers
- Social integration of excluded groups through service provisions, social rehabilitation,
Health and
- Increased public awareness achieved through public discussions, brochures, manuals,
childcare –
seminars,
childcare
- Strengthened capacity through higher involvement of volunteers
- Social integration of excluded groups through service provisions, social rehabilitation,
newly developed methods
- Plan for replacing drug equipments
- Higher awareness through promotion campaigns on diseases (hepatitis C), public
Health and
discussions, brochures, manuals, seminars,
childcare –
- Developed services for ill people (psychic disorders, disabled people,
general
- Developed prevention programmes
- Strengthened capacity through experience exchange, new employments, training of
staff,
- Supplemented school curricula
Health and - Increased co-operation in socialisation process
childcare – - Strengthened capacity of NGOs through expansion of services, increase of quality of
health services,
promotion
42 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Health and - Probation programme implementation
childcare – - Increased public awareness through distribution of target groups‟ problems,
prevention - Strengthened capacity of NGOs through training
and fight
against
addictions
- Provision of new social services
- Social integration achieved through placements of children in families, house
placements of families, job placements, school successes of children, flat
refurbishment,
Health and
- Geographical expansion of services
childcare –
- Prepared new programmes for reorganisation of services
social /
- Higher awareness of parents through training and of public achieved through
family issues
promotion campaigns, media tools
- Rebuilt centre for child and family support
- Capacity strengthening through training, improved services, increased number of
clients, networking, purchase of equipment
- established promotion of NGO
Human - developments of partnerships
resources - gained support of local communities
development - new clubs established
– capacity - greater knowledge of staff gained through training (financial management, sub-project
building planning and implementation,
- winning competitions to implement public tasks
Human - social integration of target groups through training,
resources - increased public awareness through media announcements
development - establishment of employment centre
– general - programme expansion to new communities
- Developed methodology for engagement of civil society in monitoring of performance
of public bodies
- Developed cooperation with other organisations
Human
- Adoption of new legislation (School Act, migrants codex, Anti-discrimination Act, etc.),
resources
manuals on anticorruption
development
- Expansion of services to other areas,
– democracy,
- Prevention of discrimination in specific areas, especially in labour market
human rights,
- Increased public awareness through books dissemination, conferences, brochures,
discrimination
public forums, round tables,
- Strengthened capacity through provided services, enhanced legal awareness,
professionalisation of NGOs, training, consultation meetings with communities,
Human - Developed new centres
resources - Social integration of excluded groups through supporting the multi-cultural
development environment, informal education, introduction of social field work,
– inclusion of - Strengthened capacity through established methodology for work with vulnerable
disadvantag groups, networking, education activities for employees,
ed groups
Human - Business plans and business activity started by women
resources - Introduced family mediation
development
–
mainstream
gender
equality
- Census of buildings,
- Developed methodology for restorations of habitats
- Developed eco-tourist opportunities
- Developed waste management plans
Protection of
- Cooperation with the city to support environmentally friendly transport
the
- Rebuilt public places
environment
- Published analyses on environmental protection
– general
- Achieved inter-sectoral cooperation
- Increased public awareness through online databases, portals, promotion of activities,
counselling, nature trails, brochures, information campaigns, workshops, and festivals;
- Strengthened capacity through expansion of geographical scope of services,
Protection of - New species protected
the - Increased public awareness through information campaigns, workshops, festivals,
Environment counselling
– Biodiversity
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 43
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Protection of - Developed methodological material as supplement to school curricula
the - Increased public awareness achieved through dissemination of CDs, publications,
environment web-sites, counselling, organising exhibitions, training of teachers.
- education
- Published new concepts for sustainable development of specific areas
- Prepared management plans for protected sites
- Prepared heat maps of buildings
- Implemented energy saving solutions in buildings (solar collectors, use of rain water
Protection of - Established new cooperation between NGOs
the - Created cycling infrastructure
environment - Developed new tourist opportunities
– sustainable - Created didactic paths
development - Published feasibility studies
- Increased public awareness achieved through exhibitions, information campaigns,
developed web-sites, distribution of publications, games, festivals, and education of
teachers,
- Strengthened capacity through training, new employment, and new volunteers,
Further analysis of these sub-project reported results would be useful and it is to be hoped
that this could be undertaken with country level evaluations.
All of these results, aggregated from different countries, provide some sound
achievements and also learning within countries which it is hoped can be further
disseminated and built upon. It can be suggested that many of these results would not
have been achieved without the support of the NGO Funds.
3.5.4 Visibility of the NGO Funds
The capacity of NGO Fund Intermediaries to target many different NGOs and end
beneficiaries with direct support was important and visible, and as we will see the Funds
were seen as making a really significant contribution to the NGO sectors in all the
countries. For example, stakeholders at national level, representatives of the Norwegian
embassies, and end beneficiaries in Poland believed that the visibility and recognition of
NGO Funds was quite high, across the country. The reason for this was widely available
grants, both in terms of the size of NGOs and in terms of the sub-sectors. However, some
embassies and Intermediaries in other countries, reported that it was difficult to interest the
media in the NGO sector. In the countries where the administrative requirements of the
Funds were very demanding, the Funds are thought to be bringing less positive recognition
of the donor.
The beneficiary states have respected the visibility rules. All Intermediaries set up web
sites as a promotion and information tool.63 The extent to which the information was
provided in the English language varied. Some provided basic information about the NGO
Fund and its objectives, the lists of approved sub-projects, while others offered texts of the
calls for proposals, sub-project summaries, news, etc.
In Latvia for example, a major promotional event is planned to present sub-project results.
As sub-projects in all countries are demonstrating learning and results, Intermediaries
should be encouraged and supported to undertake promotional events to disseminate and
share learning and to profile the contribution of the NGO Funds.
3.6 INCLUSION OF CROSS-CUTTING PRIORITIES
Cross-cutting issues are a range of horizontal themes, and sub-project applicants were
expected to demonstrate in their proposals how they would include these issues in their
sub-project activities. They included gender, sustainable development, equal opportunities,
good governance, and did vary from country to country within broad guidelines. However,
63
The Czech Republic developed a strong web site with Norwegian Embassy funding.
44 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
the understanding of the relevance or importance of cross-cutting issues is very limited in
most beneficiary states. This lack of understanding is general, and seen in other
programmes, such as the EU Structural Funds, and amongst a wide range of end
beneficiaries of funding programmes. Vertical objectives and results are easier for
applicants both to understand and to include in their proposals, as they are likely to be
clear about the ideas that they want to realise or the problems that they want to resolve
with a sub-project. Horizontal or cross-cutting issues are frequently seen as something
imposed and artificial.
This lack of understanding as to why cross-cutting issues should be addressed in funding
proposals is due in part to the insufficient attention being given to this topic in workshops
held for applicants at the pre-application stage. Whilst written materials, such as the
criteria for applicants, can note the importance of cross-cutting issues, workshop
discussions and the opportunity for applicants to explore and ask questions to increase
their understanding of these issues, can more fully ensure that attention is paid to them in
proposals for the sub-projects. However, this also requires that the Intermediaries
themselves are fully conversant with, and understand, the cross-cutting issues, and this
may not be the case for all Intermediaries. Further clarity from the FMO about what is to
be achieved or targeted through the cross-cutting priorities may be needed.
In Poland, for example, cross-cutting priorities (sustainable development, gender equality
and good governance) were at the same time the main target of the Equal Opportunities
and Social Integration Fund. Although the cross-cutting section was scored with 10
additional points, its relevance was even less understood by applicants than in other two
Polish NGO Funds. The Intermediary in the Czech Republic reported that cross-cutting
issues were real topics only in sub-projects that addressed them directly; otherwise they
were considered as formalities. There is also some misunderstanding of cross-cutting
issues such as gender on the part of key stakeholders in the NGO Funds: The Focal Point
in Cyprus commented that “a substantial number of people engaged in NGOs and sub-
projects were women and thus the gender equality aspect in respect of equal
representation and participation of men and women in civil life and decision making is
promoted”.64 In Lithuania, the Secretariat is planning to carry out an assessment of the
extent to which NGO Fund has addressed the EEA and Norway Grants‟ cross-cutting
issues.
As one of the Intermediaries noted:
Cross-cutting issues are certainly difficult to tackle. In our experience it is probably
of little use to include extra questions/boxes about them in the application forms as
we get mostly very formal answers with little content. The aspects of sustainability,
good governance etc. should in my opinion rather be reflected in the general
attitudes and approaches of the NGO and the sub-project. I think our evaluators
managed to take these into account - since they themselves valued these highly,
(and) sub-projects which didn't show these principles had little chance to gain
support.
What is critical is that understanding of, and application of, cross-cutting issues should be
evident, both in the approaches of the NGO and in the proposal. As well as questions in
the application form, the accompanying documentation for applicants needs to stress that
evidence of the ways in which the cross-cutting issues will be taken into account in the
assessment process.
The specific case of bilateral relations as a cross-cutting issue is dealt with in Section 3.7
and Chapter 4.
64
This could represent a misunderstanding of the key issues of gender equality on the part of the NFP.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 45
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.7 DEVELOPING NGO BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS
3.7.1 Development of bilateral sub-projects
The bilateral relationship data reported in this section is
A key goal of the EEA and Norway
that which is made available to the FMO. Table 8 Grants is to strengthen bilateral
shows that Slovenia was the most successful in relations and to bring actors from
developing and implementing large numbers of bilateral beneficiary states and donor states
sub-projects, as 37% of all approved sub-projects together at the project level in areas
involved a partner from donor states. In Cyprus 27% of where partnerships may be of mutual
benefit by bringing added value and
sub-projects included a partner organisation from donor strengthening quality.
states. In other countries, bilateral co-operation was
evident in less than 10% of sub-projects. In Hungary, there was no sub-project where
partners from donor states were included, but in the course of the sub-project
implementation, some contacts with Norwegian NGOs and experts were developed.
Norwegians were involved in at least three sub-projects, although the partnerships were
not official.
Table 8 Number of bilateral sub-projects by beneficiary state
Number of sub-projects with partners % of sub-
Total number
Beneficiary from donor countries projects with a
of implemented
state partner from a
sub-projects From Intermediary From FMO database
donor country
BG 61 3 1 4.9
CY 33 9 0 27.3
CZ 181 5 5 2.8
EE 155 7 7 4.5
HU 236 0 0 0
LV 165 9 1 5.4
LT 106 8 0 7.5
PL 557 28 34 6.1
PT 30 8 0 2.7
RO 46 4 0 8.7
SK 87 5 2 5.7
SI 40 15 7 37.5
TOTAL 1697 101 57
However, it should be noted that these figures are indicative only, as different data could
be found at the national level, since types of partnerships vary greatly, and some
partnerships may have ceased, or new partnerships may have commenced since these
were notified to the FMO.
3.7.2 Beneficiary state experience of bilateral partnerships
The contrasting numbers of bilateral partnerships is partly due to history, language and
common culture, but it is also clear that the priority given to partnerships by the Focal
Point, the Intermediary, and the Norwegian embassy in the country also strongly
influenced the take up of partnerships.
In some countries, the attraction of extra points if an application had a donor country
partner led to increased numbers of applications involving partnerships, not all of which
were real, and some of which were not even known to the donor state partner.
46 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The partnerships which have been successful have involved:
 sufficient time and money available in order to build an understanding of each
other, a feeling of trust, and familiarity with the country situation;
 the Intermediary working closely with the National Helsinki Committee (NHC)65
during proposal preparation to attract appropriate donor state NGOs, and where
workshops and visits can be funded by a Norwegian Embassy (Cyprus) or through
another section of the NGO Fund (Czech Republic).
Further evaluation is needed to explore in more depth the learning that has been achieved
through the current bilateral partnerships.
3.7.3 Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Given the low level of bilateral sub-projects across the NGO Funds (just under 6%
according to the Intermediaries, or just over 3% according to the NGOs), the role and
views of the designated Norwegian co-ordinator for the promotion of bilateral partnerships
in the NGO Funds, the NHC are seen as important.
The NHC sees its role as sharing the Nordic model, with its emphasis on democratic
engagement, the NGO sector evaluating and criticising government, engaging and
educating the public, valuing of local cultures, and bridge building between social groups.
In Norway, 58% of the population (of 4.8 million) are involved in 115,000 NGOs. As civil
society organisations are the cornerstone of modern democracies, and all countries now
share the same global challenges with respect to human rights, democracy, environment,
and encouraging active citizens, their view is that it is natural that the NGO Funds give
support to the empowerment of civil society, democratic processes, promoting human
rights and fundamental freedoms; and helping to make modern democracies work.
The NHC see the role of NGO partners either as gap filling in terms of knowledge,
education and equipment; or acting as a consortium with a common exchange of
experience, challenges and solutions. With some countries, it is more about revitalising
old relationships, and building on existing relationships, common goals, culture and
language; with others it is building new relationships.
The NHC staff confirm that that there is real interest in bilateral partnerships, with many
requests for partnerships and considerable unpaid time invested by Donor state NGOs.
There is positive feedback as to the value of partnerships, but a real capacity challenge for
the Donor state organisations.
Across all countries, the NHC, working with the Norwegian embassies, has brought more
than 30 NGOs from Norway to beneficiary states for launch events. Though these events
were well attended and involved good publicity, they did not give the target NGOs much
opportunity to build relationships and therefore be able to involve donor state NGOs in a
bid. The NHC staff feel that a direct meeting of the NGOs is important, by means of a
workshop. They have used this approach for thematic workshops and are planning an
event in May with the Czech Intermediary. This approach offers the best help to develop
sub-projects and write applications.
65
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has been the designated coordinator for bilateral partnerships for the NGO Funds
since 2005 and runs “NGO Norway”, an information portal to facilitate the search for bilateral partnerships and
cooperation within the framework of the NGO Funds. The website contains practical information about the beneficiary
states‟ NGO Funds, and includes a database of potential Norwegian partner organisations for NGO sub-projects. Their
role involves distributing information, assisting in searches for bilateral partners; co-ordinating Norwegian NGO
participation in country launches; advising the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) and arranging seminars.
The NHC runs consultation sessions with Norwegian NGOs and is part of a new Association of NGOs in Norway to
co-ordinate and promote the interests of non-state non-business actors (180 members). The NHC has 1.5 staff and its
resources are therefore limited.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 47
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.7.4 Key barriers to developing bilateral relationships
Because most sub-projects are not completed, it is too early to identify the benefits of
bilateral partners, and so most of the feedback concerned the ease or difficulty of setting
up partnerships. There are some clear barriers, some of which require attention in order
for the bilateral partnerships to develop. These include:
 Lack of funds to allow workshops to bring carefully selected NGOs together to build
relationships that are real;
 Limited awareness of Donor state NGOs of the scheme, and limited information in
English on their websites;
 Legal barriers to partnerships - for example in the Czech Republic there were
difficulties in permitting Donor state partners which were institutions not just NGOs.
This would argue for involving NHC in pre MoU discussions;
 The lack of standardised application procedures;
 Staff of small NGOs do not speak English; they find it difficult to develop
applications – these must be jointly agreed, without a donor state NGO taking over;
 Norway is an expensive partner. There is a view that donor state NGOs should
give their time for free - but they need seed money, as with the EU Leonardo
programme;
 Fatigue and over demand on the part of donor state NGOs.
Since it is clear that building bilateral partnerships is a key element in the next programme,
these issues will need careful attention and additional resources if bilateral partnerships
are to be developed successfully. Further initiatives will be needed to strengthen the
concept and practice of bilateral partnerships; evaluation work by the Intermediaries
themselves would assist in identifying the additional benefits of wider experience
exchanges involving bilateral partners and appropriate mechanisms that can ensure that
these could develop into real and constructive engagements.
3.7.5 Developing bilateral and multi-lateral partnerships between
other beneficiary states and other EU countries
In all the countries that were visited, stakeholders identified that it would be helpful to
support not only bilateral partnerships with the donor countries, but also transfer of
knowledge and experience generally across the beneficiary states and multi-lateral
partnerships. Examples are in Hungary, where there is an interest in possible cross-
border partnerships with Romania, where many of the issues on which end beneficiaries
are working are similar, and environmental sub-projects partnerships between
environmental NGOs across N. Slovakia and S. Moravia, who are facing the same issues.
However, there may be resistance to these approaches from the donor states and their
embassies, as was indicated in some of the interviews.
In Poland these kinds of partnerships are already being developed under the NGO Fund:
“Considering the optimal use of opportunities offered by NGO Fund, the supported
sub-projects shall especially foster partnerships and cooperation between non-
governmental organisations from various subject and geographical areas of Poland
in order to increase civic involvement, promote best practices and know-how
transfer between regions. An equally important issue is the cooperation of Polish
NGOs with NGOs from the EEA countries which possess expertise and experience
in a given area (exchange of best practices, development of contacts between
NGOs, study visits, joint seminars, and meetings)”.
Issues for the future of bilateral partnerships will be addressed in Chapter 4.
48 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.8 THE IMPACT OF NGO FUND SUPPORT
NGO Funds supported many different sub-projects from 17 different sub-sectors with many
different themes across a very wide geographical area. As with results, it is difficult to
assess any aggregated impact. Without clear indicators at a programme level, discerning
the impact of the NGO Funds overall, or even the impact at country level, is difficult. In
addition, the majority of sub-projects are still on-going, and only 666 (around 40%) sub-
projects were finished at the beginning of 2010. Where the separate NGO Fund was
established late (such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania), the first sub-projects are only
just finishing. Evidence of impact to date is therefore limited. During the evaluation,
interviewees and Focus Groups in most countries reported that the evaluation is being
conducted too early for significant evidence of impact to be discernable.
Much depends on what impact is being measured against, and what is meant by impact. If
what is being looked for is impact in relation long-term sustainable change involving the
reduction of social and economic disparities in the EEA, it can be suggested that evidence
for this, and indeed a focus on this objective, will to a large extent be absent. The range of
sub-projects funded, across diverse fields, does not demonstrate, even in aggregation, a
coherent approach to the reduction of social and economic disparities. Questionnaire
responses (see Figure 13) to a question about impact need to be treated with caution, as
much depends on the interpretation of the term „impact‟, which is widely misunderstood
and confused with outputs or results. Many of the results reported from countries, both by
Intermediaries and by the Focus Groups, are outputs, the successful achievement of
activities in line with the proposals submitted. In discussing impact, we are looking for
significant change that results from sub-project activities and that demonstrates the
sustainability of that change and its influence beyond the scope of the sub-project itself. It
is here that the evidence is lacking.66
Figure 13 Response on impact of NGO Funds
Source: 278 questionnaire responses
Just over one third of respondents believed that NGO Funds had significant impact on the
social and economic conditions in their country. Another 43% believed the impact was
very significant and additional 20% believed that it was relative. However, only 3% of
respondents believed the Funds had little or no impact.
66
As noted from Slovenia: “Overall, the Fund is not expected to bring much difference as it supported small sub-projects.
Sub-projects are content-based and not systemic. They are also very diverse and common overall results are not
expected. NGO Fund supported only soft sub-projects of smaller values. Big changes are not expected.”
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 49
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
However, interviewees in general and
Box 9. Example of capacity building - Poland
participants in the key informant Focus
The NGO Fund Democracy and Civil Society aimed
Groups, did not believe that the NGO at strengthening the capacity of Polish NGOs. In
Funds will significantly contribute to the the sub-project “Strengthening the institutional
reduction of social and economic capacity of the Friend Society of Kosczała
disparities.67 It can be suggested that the Community“, 23 association members were trained
in preparation of sub-project applications, and
scale of the grants provided for these financial management. The NGO successfuly
NGO Funds would not in themselves applied for two new project grants and managed to
make a significant impact in relation to plan three other sub-projects.
social and economic disparities. Similarly, under the sub-project “Non-governmental
However, the positive responses in organisations of Gniew region on their way to carry
relation to impact, as registered in the out public tasks“, the newly created association
strengthened its capacity enough to convince the
questionnaires, could be due to the municipality to open its previously closed tenders to
provision of services and activities that NGOs, and then to win two tenders to implement
meet specific local needs, and which are public tasks.
therefore seen as having a significant
local impact.
In the absence of many other funding streams, the NGO Funds have contributed generally
to the survival of the NGO sectors, as noted in many countries such as Poland: “A positive
effect of this assistance was that it helped many small NGOs to survive”. The NGO Funds
were also seen in part as a stepping stone and opportunity for NGOs to build skills to apply
to other funds. Again, from Poland:
“It could be considered as an exercise to built capacity and experience for bidding
under EU Structural Funds. This assistance should be considered as supporting
the NGO sector in its preliminary stage of development” (see Box 9).
In some countries, where service provision was within the criteria for applications, new
services have been provided, for instance in Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
However, in Romania, a specific decision was taken not to support social services
provision as such, but only to support sub-projects that would take a more strategic view of
social services, for instance in research on social service policy. It is possible that this
approach could lead to impact in the social policy area. NGOs in other countries have
been supported with sub-projects to pilot new approaches to service provision, for instance
in Hungary, where an emphasis in the NGO Fund was on innovation and new methods of
solving existing problems. In Slovakia and Latvia, NGOs were able to obtain the relevant
certification to be able to take over social services, mainly from municipalities.
However, given the scale of needs in relation to social and welfare service provision, it can
be suggested that the likely impact of sub-
Box 10. Support to oncology patients in Bulgaria
projects funded in this area will be limited, Establishment of a new model for social services for
except where they are able to demonstrate patients with oncological diseases with three
innovative practices that may in future be consultative offices to offer psychological support, as
incorporated into mainstream provision. well as home-based and on-line support. This is an
state is totally absent.
For example, in Bulgaria, with sub-projects area where the clinical psychology and Involvement
of students in patients in
such as “Creating a unified model of remission as volunteers. Development of practical
medical and social activities, which are not training curriculum for psychology students at Sofia
included in the national policy for cancer University. The overall aim is to convince the state to
treatment”, or where, in taking over include this model as a delegated social service
funded by the state budget.
provision from the state, a more
67
As the Intermediary in Poland noted: “Those objectives (reducing economic and social disparities in the country) (are)
too ambitious for such small grant scheme. The assistance provided for NGOs in Poland was relatively small
(12,600,000 €) for approximately 120,000 operational NGOs (150,000 registered) in Poland. If the Donor wishes to
achieve concrete results then more money should be allocated for the sector. You cannot expect to achieve big things
with small investments.”
50 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
responsive service is provided to end beneficiaries.68
What can be seen as an impact is the
Box 11. Strengthening NGOs in Lithuania
strengthening of the capacities of NGOs, The main result of the NGO Fund is the organisations
including achieving the quality standards with strengthened institutional capacities. The NGOs
necessary to be able to take over became more visible, they understood on how to
services on contract from local develop their organisations and broaden the scope of
activities. A number of NGOs have received specific
authorities. This general capacity
training addressing the needs of organisations.
strengthening is reported from all Through supporting their core activities the NGOs
countries to a greater or lesser extent. themselves would be able to operate more actively
These capacities have been built both with regard to their target groups (members of the
through specific initiatives (such as NGO itself, and members of the society). The Fund
contributes to the strengthening of the overall
targeted support for capacity building in capacity of the NGO sector by providing support to
some countries - see Box 11) and both branch and inter-branch NGOs (i.e. umbrella
through funding allocations added to sub- NGOs).
project monies, as in Romania where Intermediary, Lithuania.
applications for funding could include a
30% uplift for specific capacity building and strengthening work.
Other specific issues where impact in this area are noted are in Estonia, where the skills of
NGOs in advocacy work are reported as being significantly strengthened, and increased
co-operation between NGOs, and NGOs and state authorities, noted in Latvia and Poland.
There is evidence therefore of outcomes, of a difference made by the NGO Funds in
relation to the capabilities of individual end beneficiary NGOs.
In the environmental field, activities in some countries focussed on the piloting of initiatives
and in awareness raising. Again there is not yet sufficient evidence that many
environmental sub-projects have been able to demonstrate impact. Many of these types of
sub-projects only show impact over the period after the sub-project itself has finished,
particularly in relation to changes in behaviours as a result of awareness raising, but there
are also important examples of pilot initiatives. In Romania, environmental NGOs are
particularly involved in attitude change sub-projects, for instance in a sub-project achieving
community agreement to give up agricultural practices that would have a harmful
environment impact, and getting the community to take ownership of the sub-project
results. The organisation of public debates on environmental issues in Romania has
resulted in improvements in public consultation processes. Although applied in one field,
the transfer of such processes to other
areas of civic life and decision-making Box 12. Raising awareness in Slovakia
would be evidence of impact, but this AI Nova in Slovakia implements a sub-project
called “Improvement of Legal Capacity of Public
evidence is not currently available. Administration in Settlement of Civil Disputes”. The
aim is to increase awareness of the law and
In the human rights field, an anti- support the implementation of new directions in
discrimination awareness sub-project, Slovak legislation (e.g. mediation). New legal
powers have been given to mayors, following
achieved a high level of interest in
amendment of the Civil Law that enables them to
information materials which is hoped will decide on preliminary measures in relation to
have the longer-term impact of decreasing disputes between neighbours. AI Nova prepared
discriminatory practices as a result of and delivered several regional seminars to raise
increased awareness on the part of the awareness of this legislation and methods of
implementation. Participants in the seminars could
target groups for the sub-project of their discuss, exchange experience and create informal
legal options (see Box 12). It is however contacts between local government bodies. This
too early to assess its longer-term impact. can reinforce the appropriate approach to and use
of the legislation.
68
The Bulgarian Empathy Foundation developed a transport of patients and people with disabilities. It was a new social
service introduced in Bulgaria. Despite the urgent need to establish it, it is still not included in the social services
provided by the state.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 51
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The NGO Fund processes themselves in some countries have also contributed to building
capacities, as the National Focal Point in Cyprus notes:
“The NFP believe that this experience is a learning process for all, but especially for
the beneficiaries who have positively changed the way they work. This program
was more demanding and this time they have had to report and abide by specific
rules and regulations for the first time. The government is trying to reform the legal
framework for NGOs, which hopes to help them operate in an accountable way and
strengthen their presence in the society. They believe that this will lead to building a
new strategy from Cyprus for the NGO sector. They highlight that there is also one
sub-project aiming at NGO sector capacity building taking part in the programme.”
Thus here is evidence of impact beyond the specific outcomes from sub-projects,
influencing government policy towards the NGO sector and likely to result in a national
strategy. (See Box 13.)
Box 13. Targeted approach to sub-
One important potential impact was reported by projects
the consortium of NGOs working as the Cyprus supported only two thematic areas –
Intermediary in Hungary, which is that their health and childcare and empowerment of
young people. Sub-projects focused on
model of grant-making is being used in awareness raising, research and
discussions with the National Development construction of care provision facilities. The
Agency for the reform of the various EU funding sub-projects are still ongoing, so the results
streams currently implemented through and impact are not known yet. However, the
approach of targeting only two specific
government agencies. This is significant in themes from different perspectives is likely
relation to the current challenges that NGOs face to generate a measurable impact.
in accessing these main funding streams. If
improved procedures can be adopted, based on the experience and practice of the
Intermediary for the NGO Funds, the operation of the NGO Fund itself will have achieved
an impact.
The most significant impact of the NGO Funds has been their contribution to the growth
and development of the NGO sector in all beneficiary states. It is not only the financial
support which has benefited the sector, but also the recognition of its role in supporting
social justice, promoting democracy and encouraging a more sustainable approach to
societal development, which are also key values framing the NGO Funds overall.
3.9 SUSTAINABILITY OF RESULTS OF NGO FUND SUPPORT
Sustainability in the NGO sectors in the beneficiary states depends to a great extent on
how sustainability is defined. The NGO sectors in all countries face challenges in relation
to the funding base, and in requirements for volunteer support, particularly to extend the
resource base of NGOs where funding for staff posts is difficult to find. The funding that
exists is often irregular, or short term. NGOs have not in the main been able to diversify
their funding sources sufficiently, nor to achieve financial sustainability. However, capacity
building and the development of processes that increase NGO engagement with public
authorities or with citizens should be sustainable, by becoming embedded in the
operations of individual NGOs and the sector in general. Attitude changes on the part of
citizens and governmental bodies are also areas for potential sustainability of change.
Thus the sustainability of investment into the NGO sectors should be monitored from a
longer perspective, looking at changes in legislation, policy, or attitudes of citizens.
Important elements for sustainability are:
 Identification of learning that can be continued, or carried over into new or changed
practices in other organisational activities. This can include the transfer of learning
from pilots into the main activities of the implementing organisation, and/or transfer
of this learning into mainstream activities carried out by other agencies, such as
local authorities, and/or the wider dissemination of the learning to other NGOs;
52 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 The embedding of processes Box 14. Examples of one off interventions with
developed during sub-project significant effects
implementation into all areas of an Polish sub-project in the area of democracy, human
organisation‟s work; rights and discrimination focused on a problem of low
involvement of young Poles in public life in the age
 The continuation of activities groups 14-17 and 18-25 years old. The main output
without further support from the was a social campaign carried out before the
initial funding agency, where, for elections to the European Parliament. The campaign
example, activities can be was professionally conducted and was awarded in
"Golden Eagles 2009" in the category of "social
supported through new resources campaigns".
that the organisation is able to In Czech Republic, the general public had been
access as a result of being able to alerted to the problem of the deteriorating
demonstrate learning and environment in Prague and a growing number of cars
outcomes from its initial sub- in the city through an extensive campaign covering
project activities; four educational events for the general public, "Great
Autumn bike ride" and "Spring bike" in the spring of
 The transfer of ownership from the 2008, which together influenced more than 4,000
sub-project implementing body to a people. The aim was to reduce energy intensity of
wider community or group of transport and to arouse public interest in the
stakeholders who will continue with environment city, pedestrian and cyclist traffic.
the sub-project activities.
These are key tests against which sustainability of results from the NGO Funds should
eventually be assessed.
At the end of April 2010, the majority of financed sub-projects (around 60%) were still
being implemented, and results still to be delivered, so it is not possible to assess the
stakeholders‟ ownership of the results. The outcomes and results delivered under the
majority of implemented sub-projects are locally oriented, and thus their sustainability,
where long-term financial support is required to continue and secure the results, will mostly
depend on funding from local sources, whose financial resources are limited.
It should be noted, however, in discussions of sustainability that some sub-projects
supported one-time actions, whose results and effects were important and needed, and
impact was observed, but sustainability
was not expected (see Box 14). Box 15. Examples of evident sustainability
through financial security or follow up activities
From 304 responses to the questionnaire, In Poland, from April 2008 the Marshal's Office of
283 respondents are continuing or plan to Mazovia began to organize consultation meetings
with NGOs on co-operation with the third sector. The
continue with actions initiated under sub- organisation of such meetings and the introduction
projects, or are actively using the of a standard consultation was advocated by the
knowledge received during capacity Federation Mazovia. The Board of Mazovia
building activities. This new knowledge Province (on December 16, 2008) accepted the
document on rules for granting subsidies to regional
and expertise will continue to be used, NGOs and other entities authorized to conduct
and therefore sub-project learning can be charitable activities. The need to create such a
seen as sustainable. Many sub-projects document had been repeatedly signalled in 2008
also included an investment component and is one of the sub-project's achievements. The
and these inputs are continuing to be used sustainability is seen in secured further financial
support to NGOs in Mazovia Province.
for the purposes identified.
In Slovenia, a practical model and relevant policies
for resettlement of homeless people was prepared
As mentioned in the previous chapter, on the basis of Norwegian models. Currently the
sub-project results are sub-project-unique society for help and self-help to homeless people
and thus sustainability would have to be Kings of the Street are issuing their own publication
assessed for each individual sub-project. for 1 €, where 0.5 € remains with the seller. The
publication is sold on the street by homeless people.
Some examples of continuity of activities Authors of articles in the publication are mainly
that were initiated under NGO Funds are homeless people. The sub-project was not only
given in Box 15. innovative for the Slovene environment, but it is also
financially sustainable.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 53
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
What is critical is what is regarded by the end beneficiaries as sustainability, and whether
sub-projects themselves should be seen as sustainable. It can be suggested that sub-
project sustainability as such is less relevant than the sustainability of the outcomes from
sub-projects – that is the difference that the sub-projects have made or are making. The
continuation of activities themselves may not keep on making a difference. Sub-project
evaluation should be focussed on the learning from the sub-projects and what needs to be
derived from this learning to take into new or continuation sub-projects, or into changes in
processes in the NGOs, or more widely disseminated through the NGO sectors and to
other stakeholders in each beneficiary state.
3.10 COMPLEMENTARITY WITH OTHER FUNDING
Interviews with Focal Points, Intermediaries, and end beneficiary Focus Groups, confirm
that EEA and Norway Grants were practically the only funding available specifically for
NGOs in 2007. Most of the stakeholders agreed that this funding came at the right time
and provided support for the most urgent needs of the NGO sector. Recently, other
sources of funding have become available, e.g. Swiss Mechanism, national funding, and
EU funding (Structural Funds, and specialist funds such as Daphne II and Support NGOs
in 10 New Member States).69,70
Although donor forums exist in many of the beneficiary states to coordinate support to the
civil society sector, they only involve Foundations and not government-to-government aid
such as the EEA and Norway Grants. The support from different government-to-
government sources is usually managed by different Government bodies/ministries and no
joint meetings of these organisations are organised whereby the assistance could be
discussed and co-ordinated.
In Slovenia, for example, the EEA and Norwway Grants and the Swiss Mechanism are
managed by the Government Office for European Affairs and Development, while
horizontal issues related to NGOs (e.g. legislation) are managed by the Sector for NGOs
within the Ministry for Public Administration. The latter also manages ESF support and
national funding aimed at increasing the capacity of NGOs and social partners. With the
appointment of a new Government in 2008, a State Secretary within the office of the Prime
Minister was appointed specifically for NGOs, but up to now, there is little evidence of an
effect of this role. NGOs meet monthly, but representatives of the different donors do not
participate at those meetings. The Focus Group for key informants carried out under this
evaluation was the first time that representatives from different ministries and some bigger
and smaller NGOs could meet and learn what the other party was doing and how they
were overcoming different problems. All the representatives recognised that this co-
ordination was missing and should be thought about for the future.
Similarly to Slovenia, in Poland, the Swiss Mechanism and the EEA and Norway Grants
are managed by the Ministry of Regional Development, while responsibility for public
utilities at horizontal level belongs to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, where there
is a department for NGOs. The difference with Poland is that the Council for NGOs,
consisting of bigger, strategic NGOs, is consulted on the needs and priorities to be
covered by external assistance and there are attempts to reach some complementarily
amongst the available funding mechanisms.
69
Supporting actions of NGOs and multi-sectoral organisations against all forms of violence from sexual abuse to
domestic violence, violence against migrants, vulnerable people, minorities, etc.). Daphne III programme (2007-2013
has been launched - see http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/funding/2004_2007/daphne/funding_daphne_en.htm.
70
2006:The programme aimed at supporting NGOs in the area of the rule of law, democracy, fundamental rights, media
pluralism and the fight against corruption. See
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/funding/2004_2007/support_ngo/funding_support_en.htm.
54 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
In countries where there is limited understanding of the NGO sector, NGOs are not
recognised as a partner during the priority identification process for funding mechanisms.
Priorities are usually determined by donors and Government organisations, and even
where these funds will be accessible to or focussed on NGOs, there is frequently no
consultation with NGOs themselves about their most urgent needs. Due to the lack of
coordination meetings, there is therefore no mechanism for ensuring complementarity. In
countries where there are different sources of funding available to support NGOs, regular
co-ordinating meetings, with participation of representatives of all Government bodies
dealing with the different sources and potential applicants would be of a benefit, both to
ensure effective targeting of NGO needs, and complementarity. Up to now this has not
functioned effectively in most of the countries.
3.11 CONCLUSIONS
This final section of this chapter draws together some conclusions from the evidence
collected during the evaluation, which has been used to inform the overall programme
learning points in Chapter 4 and the possible future direction for any further NGO Funds
provided by the Donors. The evidence has also enabled responses to be given to the
specific questions posed for the evaluation, and these questions have been set against the
conclusions below.
3.11.1 Targeting of NGO Funds and achievement of objectives
To what extent and how have the NGO Funds responded to the EEA and Norway Grants
overall objectives of reducing economic and social disparities? To what extent and how
have they contributed to responding to strategic priorities and needs as well as to the
development of the NGO sector at national level?
Overall, the evidence suggests that the objectives of all of the evaluated Funds were
relevant, even if not all were specifically focused on the overall objectives of the EEA and
Norway Grants. The most appropriate needs of NGOs in that period were targeted, and
this was confirmed by the views of the end beneficiaries and interviewees. One of the
weaknesses in the overall programme development process was that consultations with
NGOs on the priorities to be financed in each beneficiary state were not required or
implemented in all countries. This suggests that even more effective targeting could have
been achieved if such consultations had been held.
In relating the targeting of the Funds to the achievement of the overall objectives of the
EEA and Norway Grants, where the NGO Funds were aimed at the same objectives these
may well have been too ambitious for small grants. Particularly in Poland, where the
complexity of themes available for financing was, apart from Slovenia, the largest, the
diversification of sub-projects was huge. The key informants (Focal Point, Norwegian
embassy and both Intermediaries) agreed that such an approach does not necessarily
lead to good, visible results, but rather diversifies assistance to the extent that is difficult to
see the overall benefits. Therefore, in a future Fund they would support narrowed thematic
areas and more focused targeting of support.71 This is an issue that is picked up further in
Chapter 4.
71
Other suggestions from evaluation informants as to the targeting of future programmes are covered in Chapter 4.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 55
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
3.11.2 NGO Fund Results
To what extent have the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives been met at Fund and sub-project
level?
There is a huge range of sub-projects, supported under 36 thematic areas over 12
beneficiary states. Despite the fact that a majority of sub-projects (60%) were still be to
completed at the time of the evaluation, there was good evidence of some significant
results from the sub-projects. NGO Funds effectively tackled areas of strengthening the
capacity of the NGO sector, advocacy and awareness raising activities, good governance
and legislative initiatives, as well as service provision (especially in areas such as social
and health care) and environmental initiatives. The NGO funding was effective in
addressing needs of local communities by supporting local grass-root organisations in
addressing local problems. This suggests that in the main, the application and
assessment processes had successfully identified sub-projects that would produce results,
and thereby meet the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives at Fund and sub-project level.
3.11.3 Impact and Sustainability
What has been the planned and unplanned impact, including on the institutional capacity
of the sector, and on the targeted areas/groups at sub-project level?
To what extent has ownership by stakeholders and the institutionalisation of supported
activities been sustained after funding has ceased?
At this stage, as the evaluation was conducted with many sub-projects still being
implemented or only just completed, it is not possible to provide conclusive evidence about
impact or sustainability. However, there are some examples of impact already being
apparent from some sub-projects. As yet the potential for impact cannot be identified,
either at an individual country level, or aggregated across the entire programme. Impact at
a more strategic level may be limited, as most sub-projects are meeting local needs, and
the wide range of thematic areas across the beneficiary states makes aggregation of these
local impacts difficult. The national work in the fields of advocacy and public awareness is
also difficult to aggregate.
Similarly sustainability cannot yet be assessed, and much depends on the definition of
sustainability against the kinds of funded activities and what of these funded activities can
therefore be regarded as sustainable. For instance, it is to be hoped that any activities that
were focussed on increasing the capacity of the end beneficiary would indeed be
sustainable. What may be less sustainable may be specific sub-projects which require
funding to continue, such as staffing in a service provision. It will be important for
Intermediaries to undertake in-country evaluations, to identify learning from the sub-
projects that could be more widely disseminated. This would contribute to both the
sustainability of new processes and innovative practices, and also to the impact of the sub-
projects and the overall NGO Funds in each beneficiary state, by encouraging and
enabling the spread of the learning from the sub-projects.
3.11.4 Intermediary performance
How efficient was the management set up and how could it be improved to increase
efficiency of the grant system?
The evidence suggests that the performance of the different Intermediaries varied in terms
of their responsiveness to end beneficiaries, in administrative and reporting capabilities,
and in their understanding of the NGO sector and its needs, both between countries and
56 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
between Intermediaries in the same country. It must, however, be highlighted that
achieving efficiency and effectiveness was sometimes inhibited due to (i) the national
frameworks in which NGO Funds had to operate (e.g. national procurement laws or
requirement for harmonisation of procedures with those applied under EU Structural
Funds), (ii) misinterpretation of FMO rules and procedures between different
implementation bodies (Intermediary, Focal Point, and Paying Authority), (iii) complex
implementation systems set up before the Intermediaries were selected, or (iv) lack of
direct communication with the FMO. The FMO guidelines relating to implementation
systems are considered very general and there is scope for the provision of more detailed
explanation of certain issues, such as reporting, auditing and monitoring.
Overall, application processes were well-conducted, with good application packs and
wide access to information about the grants, which resulted in a high number of
applications. The guidelines provided clear instructions to the potential applicants on the
preparation of applications and sufficient information was requested in application forms
and in required documentation, which enabled objective assessment, as well as efficient
monitoring of the sub-projects during their implementation. In some countries however
(like Romania and Poland) the requested administrative documentation was extensive and
the required administrative checks took a long time. Simplification was implemented in
Romania for the second call for proposals, but there is still room to simplify application
processes further, especially if grants are of a smaller size. There is a need to consider
how smaller and less experienced NGOs can access the Funds, particularly if application
processes remain complex.
Assessment processes were seen as transparent and despite problems in one country,
were found to be efficient and well-conducted. Quality assessment and selection criteria in
general were appropriately set and applied, but differed in the complexity or development
of scoring systems and the scope and clarity of the assessment criteria. The interpretation
of conflict of interest of members of the evaluation and selection committees differed in the
absence of prior guidance from the FMO. Decision making and the selection of sub-
projects were carried out transparently and within the planned time frames (with the
exception of Lithuania and the Hungarian Environmental Fund). All applicants were
appropriately informed about the results of the assessment and selection process. In
some cases, applicants were provided with detailed information on the assessment of their
sub-project proposals, which was considered as a part of a learning process.
One key issue, however, is the definition of what are eligible organisations for the NGO
Funds. Due to the different legal definitions of NGOs, there were disparities in relation to
the types of organisations that could apply for the NGO Funds across the different
countries, and some concerns were expressed about the inclusion of certain types of
organisations as eligible.
In the main, contractual negotiations and monitoring and reporting from the sub-
projects was conducted well. However, there were issues in some countries in relation to
payments to end beneficiaries. The speed of processing payments to end beneficiaries
greatly depended on the complexity of the implementation system established. Where
both Focal Point and Paying Authority were involved, payment delays were longer due to
increased and duplicated controls being carried out. The most efficient systems turned out
to be where the Intermediary had a direct contract with the FMO or, as in Estonia, the
Czech Republic and Poland, where payment claims from end beneficiaries were only
checked by Intermediaries and not rechecked by the Focal Point and the Paying Authority.
From the evidence, therefore, it is concluded that to ensure efficient and effective
management of NGO Funds, flexible and non-bureaucratic systems, with clear and
simple application, administration and financial requirements, and processes that enable
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 57
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
short payment flows, are essential. Intermediaries need to be trusted by their clients to
carry out their work professionally and efficiently. They should be independent from any
governmental pressure, and widely accepted by potential applicants. Finally, an efficient
Intermediary needs to be able to show understanding of the NGO sector (preferably with
past working relationships with NGOs), and act supportively, with tolerance and
understanding of the problems facing NGOs. The opportunities the Intermediaries have to
operate flexible and non-bureaucratic systems are highly dependent on the country
situation and their relationships with the FP and PAs.
The evidence suggests that the capacity building support given to applicants, both
through workshops and consultations, contributed to the skills of applicant NGOs in
relation to sub-project development, and that implementing a sub-project has also
contributed to NGOs being able to access funds from other donor sources. Feedback to
unsuccessful applicants also helped these organisations to learn, with the result that where
more than one round of calls for proposals were held, unsuccessful applicants in previous
rounds were often able to secure funding on a subsequent occasion. Capacity building
was also enabled through other workshops for end beneficiaries and within sub-projects
themselves. Some of the country programmes included capacity building specifically as a
theme, or in others, applicants could apply for funds for capacity building activities in their
sub-projects. Capacity building and learning is a key part of grant schemes, as skills and
understanding developed with the support of a donor can be sustainable and enable
NGOs to incorporate good practice processes in their organisations and sub-project
implementation.
What is the visibility of the contributions at different levels?
Although the visibility of the contributions was not an explicit NGO Fund objective, it can be
evidenced that the donor states achieved a high level of visibility through the activities of
the Intermediaries, Focal Points and Norwegian embassies in the beneficiary states. By
supporting NGOs at local levels, the NGO Funds are visible across the beneficiary states.
To what extent have cross-cutting priorities of gender, bilateral relations and sustainable
development been addressed?
The cross-cutting issues, which focus on good practice processes and understanding,
were not well-incorporated into sub-projects and, as these issues are important in relation
to good practice development, further attention needs to be paid to developing more
understanding of why and how they should be included as part of sub-project delivery
processes.
Overall, bilateral partnerships have not been taken up extensively in the beneficiary states.
The reasons for this have been identified and recommendations can be made to improve
the effectiveness of this component of the programme. In particular, launching
conferences with the participation of NGO representatives from the donor states, to enable
“matchmaking” and the establishment of first contacts was seen as a good way of initiating
bilateral partnerships.
The next chapter will discuss how a future programme could be designed, drawing on the
issues identified in this chapter.
58 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4. LEARNING AND CHALLENGES, LEADING
TO NEW APPROACHES
Although the programme to date does not provide sufficient evidence about the impact of
the NGO Funds, due to the majority of sub-projects across the twelve beneficiary states
not yet being completed or only recently finished, it is possible to draw out some significant
learning from the NGO Funds to date from the evidence provided in Chapter 3. In
addition, the views of participants in the Focus Groups about specific country issues and
directions for the future are included in this Chapter. This overall learning includes areas
that demonstrate challenges, and also point towards new approaches and thinking which
are relevant in terms of potential future NGO Funds. This Chapter will therefore aim to
draw together this learning.
4.1 KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE NGO SECTOR
This section discusses some generic issues relating to the understanding of the NGO
sectors in the beneficiary states.
4.1.1 Understanding the sector‟s diversity and needs
To achieve successful investment outcomes in terms of sub-project funding, knowledge
and understanding of the specific sector and potential range of sub-project interventions is
essential. This is particularly true of the NGO sector, which exhibits wide diversity in all of
the beneficiary states. Intermediaries across the twelve countries were NGOs or not-for-
profit organisations, Government ministries or quasi-governmental institutions, and two
private sector companies (in Cyprus and in Poland). There was therefore variance in the
experience and knowledge of the Intermediary about the NGO sector, and its support
needs in applying for funding.
“Understanding the sector” requires wide interpretation, as it needs to include
understanding the diversity of the sector in each beneficiary state and its regions; and also
the typology of the sector, both in relation to the legal definitions of what constitutes an
NGO, and what types of organisations it may or may not be appropriate to include as
eligible for funding. It includes an understanding of the absorptive capacity of both the
sector as a whole and of its variety of organisations in relation to the scale and size of
grants on offer. It also includes understanding the range of support that may be required
at all stages, from pre-application support through to support during sub-project
implementation. This needs to include an understanding of the flexibility required to
enable end beneficiaries to respond to changes in the external environment, or in their own
operational circumstances that may require adjustment to funding allocations or to
proposed sub-project activities. End beneficiaries in the Focus Groups appreciated the
support given by the Intermediaries during sub-project implementation, but in the main,
NGO or not-for-profit organisation Intermediaries were seen as having more understanding
of the issues that affected NGOs during implementation and were more able to provide
appropriate support from their own experiences as NGOs or as grant makers. This issue
will be discussed at more length below.
4.1.2 Establishing a baseline
One of the problems for the NGO Funds overall was also the lack of baseline information,
against which change resulting from the intervention of the NGO Funds and the sub-
projects could be measured. Indicators that can be used for overall Fund evaluation and
which can be adapted for specific country funds were also lacking. As part of the
evaluation, a template was produced, with which local experts collected details about the
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 59
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
current position of the NGO sectors in 10 beneficiary states. These templates, including
full references to all sources of data, are contained in country side papers for the FMO.
Some of these studies contain significantly updated data on each beneficiary state, whilst
for some countries there are gaps in very recent information. Baseline studies were not
completed for Latvia and Lithuania, and information in the side papers has been drawn
from other sources. It is suggested that these baseline studies provide information which
can aid the understanding of the NGO sector in each beneficiary state, and also provide a
baseline at 2010 against which future changes could be measured. The format of the
template has also been used in the identification of possible indicators for a programme
approach for future funding (see Chapter 5). Some studies have apparently been carried
out in preparation for the Swiss Funds and could be used to update the templates. It is
also recommended that support is in future given to Intermediaries to update this baseline
information, as this would provide evaluative information against the indicators, as well as
continuing to provide an ongoing understanding of changes taking place in the NGO sector
in each beneficiary state.
4.1.3 Definitions of NGO sectors
As noted in Section 3.3.5, the legal definitions of Box 16. Definition of the NGO
what constitutes an NGO or civil society organisation Legal framework had some impact (in)
(CSO) differs from country to country and this is an defining the eligible applicants, because
issue in relation to the eligibility for funding. Some there is no clear and uniform definition
information about the different legal position of of the NGO within national legislation.
The eligibility of applicants was
NGOs in each beneficiary state is given in Annex 3. determined according to the national
laws in force, therefore a wide range of
Whilst the definition set in the guidelines for NGO potential applicants in terms of their
Funds states that supported organisations should be legal status were able to apply for the
grant support.
voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to
direction by public authorities, independent of End beneficiaries‟ Focus Group,
Lithuania
political control and established under the legal
systems of the beneficiary state (e.g. foundations, associations, charities, societies, trusts
etc), the legal provisions in some states do not clarify NGOs in a way which enables this
definition to be easily applied. So for example until 2010, foundations in some countries
were not legally eligible for funding under the NGO Funds.
In some countries, state organisations have established quasi-NGOs, which have a legal
status, and there is an issue that governmental bodies would regard these entities as
eligible for the NGO Funds. The key concern here is how far some of these foundations
are truly independent of the state in terms of their governance and their freedom of activity.
Where they have been set up, as in Hungary, to provide a mechanism for financial support
of provision in schools or hospitals, it can be suggested that they are not fully independent
entities, unless they are raising and disbursing funds across a variety of different
organisations and sub-projects and not into one state institution. As a result of the
existence of these para-statal NGOs, in some countries, such as Romania and Hungary,
civil society is being defined as more “grass roots” organisations. A further issue is the
development of NGOs by companies or individuals, with assertions made that these are
not “genuine” NGOs, but set up for tax purposes. This is an issue of particular concern in
Poland and Slovenia.
Again, in some countries, there is no adequate definition in law of an “NGO” - for instance
in Lithuania, where the end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group suggested that the distribution of
the funds demonstrated this, or in Portugal, where there is no overall NGO law, and only
environmental and development NGOs are specifically identified through registration
mechanisms. However, the Intermediaries here and in Cyprus, have taken a broad
definition of NGOs to enable a wide range of organisations to apply. As well as lack of
clarity in the law as to what is an NGO is, there are issues in some countries, such as
60 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Bulgaria, that although certain types of organisations, such as the Bulgarian Red Cross are
registered under the Non-Profit Legal Bodies Act along with other NGOs, they should not
be considered eligible as “they are not considered as indigenous NGOs.” However, the
NGO Fund guidelines do not specify “indigenous” NGOs as the only potential recipients of
Fund support.
This range of issues about the eligibility of different types of organisations has led to
recommendations from some end beneficiary Focus Groups for more clarity in the
definition of what is and what is not an eligible organisation. It is clear that despite the
definition in the NGO Fund guidelines, further clarification is needed that is appropriate for
each beneficiary state. This could include a widening of the definition of eligible bodies in
some cases. Additionally, in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and
Slovakia there is an interest in how the funding could be extended to non-registered
community-based organisations, which do not have a legal status, but are seen as a key
part of civil society in both countries, particularly at the local level. There are however
problems in making grants available to non-
Box 17. Targeting grass roots groups
registered organisations in terms of accountability
and legal liability. These problems could be The donors should target more
grassroots and support them constantly
overcome through enabling partnership on the field. From the experience of the
applications from registered NGOs, working with local donors, the most interesting ideas
community-based, unregistered, “grass roots” come from the civic groups which are not
organisations. Such arrangements could also even legally registered.
contribute significantly to building capacity in these End beneficiary Focus Group, Bulgaria
smaller and non-registered organisations.
4.1.4 Diverse countries and diverse NGO sectors - a “one size fits all”
approach is not appropriate
Not only in relation to the legal definition of NGOs, but more widely the NGO sectors in all
of the beneficiary states are diverse, as are the countries themselves. There are,
however, some commonalities that can suggest a baseline for an overall NGO Fund and
thereby some key priorities, which will be discussed later in this report. Most countries
demonstrate capital city/urban areas/rural area diversities in relation to the number of
active NGOs and their relative strength or weakness, and some of the potential priority
areas for further NGO development are similar. However, the specific combination of
issues such as the legal position of NGOs, relationships with government and within the
NGO sector, as well as the needs in relation to specific issues, produce particular
circumstances which need to be taken into account.
Thus specific country contexts are all important – as all have very different needs. This
suggests that a “one size fits all” approach for any future Funds would not be successful.
Whilst an overall goal for the NGO Funds as a whole can be set, a clear lesson from the
operation of the NGO Funds to date is that a flexibility at the country level is important in
both meeting the needs of the NGO sector and in responding to the local environment in
an appropriate way. This is one of the most keenly valued features of the NGO Funds, as
evidenced in both end beneficiary and country key informants‟ Focus Groups.
Knowing and understanding the NGO environment and being responsive to it, therefore
has significant implications for the ways in which the NGO Funds are administered,
depending on the outcomes required from the Funds.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 61
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.2 ISSUES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE EVALUATION THAT ARE
COMMON TO ALL COUNTRIES
The previous section has identified some general issues about the nature of the NGO
sectors and the need for understanding in each beneficiary state of the sector‟s
particularities. However, despite the differences between the beneficiary states, there are
also some commonalities or frequently occurring issues, which can be drawn from the
evidence in Chapter 3.
4.2.1 Fund contribution to reducing social and economic disparities
There is general recognition that whilst it is Box 18. End beneficiaries‟ view of the
likely that none of these NGOs Funds per significance of the NGO Fund
se can make a “major contribution” to The NGO fund is very important as there aren‟t
meeting social and economic disparities in many active donors in the country and over the last
any country, appropriate sub-projects 3 – 4 years it has been very difficult for NGOs to find
support for their activities. Moreover, the state has
funded with regard to local circumstances no policy and clear rules to support NGOs or to
can: establish a fund for providing the necessary
 Demonstrate innovation, particularly in co-financing under different projects.
Bulgaria end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group
services or initiatives where the state
… the NGO fund has been a welcome opportunity
is weak or has withdrawn, where after the departure of traditional donors and in the
NGOs are important in developing context of the economic crisis, which has reduced
pilots to show new ways of dealing funds available from private donors, taking also into
with old problems. Partnerships with consideration the difficulty in implementing projects
Donor state NGOs and other bilateral financed through public (Structural) Funds
(reimbursement of expenses instead of advance
partnerships can be an important payments)
means of thinking and learning about Romania end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group
innovative practice. Grants gave a unique opportunity to implement
 Provide sub-projects that can be projects without budget negotiations (as opposed to
complementary to state policy and when the projects are financed from the Polish
strategic initiatives. budgetary source, the applicants are often forced to
cut the project budget down). The applicants pointed
 Address inequalities, for instance out that in general the funds of other donors are very
between regions in a country or for difficult to access for NGOs in Poland. Due to the
specifically marginalised or criteria set, practically only big and experienced
disadvantaged groups. NGOs can afford to apply for the EU Funds (e.g.
from Operational Programmes Human Resources
Development 2004-2006 or now OP Human Capital
It is particularly in relation to innovation 2009-2013), EU being the main source of funding in
that funds such as the EEA and Norway the country. As a result many organisations seek
Grants can be valuable. financial support from local or central government.
Polish end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group, Warsaw
4.2.2 Access to Funding NGOs have very limited access to contracts from
the EU Structural Funds as they have to compete
Civil society is fragile in most of the with commercial companies and governmental
institutions. Only a limited number of NGOs is active
countries covered by the EEA and Norway and successful in receiving financing from EU
Grants, and to an extent this fragility has Structural Funds. Among NGOs there is general
increased since accession to the EU and opinion that EU Structural Funds have very heavy
the loss of many funding streams that administrative requirements, and NGOs have
provided for civil society development – difficulties in finding partners. Opportunities for
NGOs to participate in the tenders are interpreted as
many of these lost funds were seen as support to NGO sector by the governmental
easy to access, providing core and institutions. ... NGO sector lacks access to small-
capacity building support as well as sub- scale grants with quick selection procedure and
project support for NGO activities. All of simple administration rules to address local
problems. Continuity of projects and financing of
the end beneficiaries‟ Focus Groups note long-term projects is also an important issue.
the loss of previous funding streams and Lithuania end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group
that in many cases they have not been
62 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
replaced by state originated funds. EU Structural Funds are in particular seen as difficult
for NGOs to access (see Box 18).
Funds that are easy to access, with appropriate application procedures and which allow for
advance payments and not reimbursement or payment by results are therefore important if
they are to be able to be accessed by the widest range of civil society organisations.
4.2.3 Fragility of Civil Society
One of the risks of the “fragility” of civil society, and linked to the lack of availability of
appropriate funding sources, is that the diversity of the NGO sector will be lost in some
countries, with a consequent polarisation between large NGOs that can access funds such
as the EU Structural Funds, and grass-roots organisations at the very local level which rely
on small funds raised from local community resources. Financial support from local
government budgets is patchy and especially Box 19. Need for NGO capacity
vulnerable to cuts at times of economic crisis. A building
healthy and broadly based civil society and NGO There is a gap between big and small
sector is critical for many reasons, including the NGOs which is increasing; both types of
protection of citizens‟ rights, building of social capital NGOs are important, both need
capacity building.
and innovation in community and societal responses
to a wider range of social and economic needs. Interview with Intermediary, Estonia
4.2.4 Connecting with communities and the citizen
In many countries, NGOs attending Focus Groups commented that there are still not high
levels of public trust of NGOs, and that their role is not well understood by the wider
citizenry. Support for promotional activities is seen as required, as in a number of
countries, NGOs are seen as not reaching out and engaging with the wider community, but
are seen as being remote and disconnected. This “disconnection” limits the engagement
of volunteers and the development of volunteerism. A number of the Focus Groups noted
that there is no legal basis for volunteer activity in their countries. This perceived
disconnection also affects the ways in which NGOs can influence wider societal attitudes,
and engage citizens in discussions on key societal issues. NGOs have a major role to
play in engaging citizens in civil society activities, and in changing attitudes towards
minorities and marginalised groups, and in raising issues about governance and what
democracy means in practice.
4.2.5 Political environment
Political changes in some countries potentially have an adverse effect on civil society and
on the relationships between government and the
civil society/NGO sector, whilst in other countries Box 20. NGOs and government
the opportunities for partnership working across the „Some key system shifts have not taken
sectors are increasing. Where tensions exist place - government is still suspicious of
between the NGO sector and government, NGOs the NGO sector and there is a lack of
that receive or depend on funding from public trust and dialogue; NGOs are still shy,
insecure and do not want to challenge
sources may be limited in their advocacy and government…; and whilst there is a
watch-dog roles. Additionally, there is evidence that Government-NGO Council, membership
some funding sources may be used for “political” is selected by the government and its
purposes. Concerns were also expressed in Focus role is unclear.‟
Interview with Intermediary, Czech
Groups and interviews in some countries that there Republic
is politicisation of NGOs.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 63
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.2.6 The importance of civil society/NGOs in reinforcing democracy
and good governance, and in advocacy/watchdog roles
The importance of civil society/NGOs in Box 21. Advocacy
reinforcing democracy and good Poland. All participants unanimously stated that
governance and in advocacy/watchdog they see the advocacy as the main subject activity
roles was emphasised in a number of of NGOs and the core issue underlying the
countries. Anti-corruption work by NGOs operations of NGOs in Poland. Most efforts of
NGOs are devoted to advocacy work and this
is seen as an important part of this work; should be continued
additionally, maintaining the There is an issue of dependency on funds
independence and transparency of NGOs accessible from local or regional budgetary sources,
was seen as important in relation to thus it is self-explanatory that the NGOs do not often
advocacy activities. The need for further exercise their right to criticize the activities of public
skill development for advocacy work was administration. The participants reported that even if
national debates are taking place (e.g. on issues
noted in a number of countries. such as anti-discrimination) the voice of NGOs is not
Programmes which are nationally always taken into account even though they are
determined by governments or under formally invited to participate in the discussions. As
direct ministry control or direction may not a result of various consultations the documents
worked out with the participation of NGOs often do
be willing to fund sub-projects or issues
not finally reflect their position.
that may directly or indirectly challenge End beneficiaries Focus Group, Poland
government at either local or national Slovakia. “Advocacy used to be very strong in
level. Conversely, NGOs may themselves Slovakia in response to a previous regime, and the
limit their advocacy role, where they are current government is again mobilising NGO‟s
recipients of funding from governmental advocacy,"
End beneficiaries interview, Slovakia
sources and concerned that any
engagement in such activities may jeopardise this funding.
4.2.7 The role of NGOs in promoting new ways of thinking about
issues
The Intermediary in Hungary specifically mentioned the role of NGOs in promoting attitude
changes in what are still transition societies. Whilst this was more indirectly reflected in
other interviews and Focus Groups, the role of NGOs in promoting new ways of thinking
about issues, in piloting new initiatives and in challenging poor practice is clearly important.
Both the activities during sub-project implementation, and the learning from the sub-
projects, demonstrate how important the approaches and flexibility of NGOs are in
enabling re-thinking and attitude change on the part of both authorities and also the
general public. This is an area where the NGO Funds can be of importance, particularly if
they are used to encourage innovation and new approaches to old problems. This issue is
also reflected above in the roles that NGOs can play in connecting more widely with
communities and citizens, to challenge attitudes which are hostile to minority and
disadvantaged groups. This is an important role in relation to the promotion of human
rights.
4.2.8 Convergence with European norms
NGOs have a key role in bringing European norms to the forefront in their societies, for
example Council of Europe Guidelines on civil society participation in decision-making,72
and practices and approaches drawn from partnerships within the EEA. Whilst much of
this work is funded under the main EEA and Norway Grants, for instance implementation
of the Schengen acquis and work needed to strengthen the judiciary (of particular
importance in Slovakia), involvement of NGOs in highlighting where there is divergence
from European practices and norms is important.
72
Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Making Process, Council of Europe, approved by all
member states meeting in Council, November 2009.
64 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.2.9 Improving links with national and local administrations
Working with government is still an area where there are varied results. It is not clear how
far NGOs involved in the NGO Funds have had a systemic impact in relation to
NGO/governmental relations, and it may still be too early to judge how the links made
through the sub-projects in different countries can be sustained and built on in the longer
term. There is however evidence of improved links with local administrations at different
levels in a number of countries, for Box 22. Links with government administrations
example with child protection staff in Poland - Although the thematic areas like social
Ministries (see Box 22). The main barriers inclusion, culture, tourism or environmental
are political – the willingness of protection are covered by the statutory activities of
government at both national and local an NGO sector in Poland, there is a clear need for
levels to see NGOs as partners and to closer co-operation between NGOs and self-
governments to validate these activities. NGOs
engage with them, to understand what would welcome the creation of a platform for
NGOs and civil society is about and not to co-operation with public administration. There are
see advocacy and challenge as areas of co-operation although there are also areas
oppositional in a political sense. neglected by the local administration, where NGOs
play a major role (promoting equal opportunities,
fight against discrimination) – these areas are
However, in all countries where Focus unlikely to be supported by self-governments for
Groups were conducted, increasing various political reasons thus the donors can fill the
partnership with governmental bodies was gap in this respect.
seen as important, particularly in End beneficiaries Focus Group, Poland
processes that involve dialogue and Slovakia The Hope under One Roof project of the
association Help for children at risk is developing
consultation. In most countries, the new methods and procedures in work with victims of
contracting out of services by local domestic violence, working with victims,
government to NGOs is seen as perpetrators, and the general public. Based on their
premature – however for example in long-term experience and working with other NGOs
Latvia, NGOs would like the opportunity to associated in the League against Violence the sub-
project refurbished two small flats donated by the
be seen as potential service providers. municipality into protected emergency
Estonia is unique amongst this group of accommodation for the victims. The project team
countries, in having a Compact concluded works intensively with the victims, but also trains
between the NGO sector, government and and works with all those involved including public
administration staff and the police. As well as
parliament. Whilst open to criticism by starting the League against Violence, which creates
some in the NGO community, it is a model networks and contacts among all organisations of
which sets out clear guidelines for the similar nature all over the country, they also focus
relationship between the state and civil on identification activities and prevention.
society as represented by NGOs.
Implementation of the Council of Europe guidelines (noted above in 4.2.8) could
significantly improve the relationship between NGOs and state institutions at both local and
national levels.
However, there are also stumbling blocks to effective interaction, as noted from Bulgaria,
where the end beneficiaries‟ Focus Group noted that more support is needed to facilitate
dialogue with public authorities, and to increase the range of organisations that can
participate more actively in partnership working and dialogue with the state.
4.2.10 Networking and partnership working between NGOs
Cooperation between NGOs and the development of networks and representation
structures were seen by many of the Focus Groups to be important for the continuing
development and strengthening of NGOs and civil society. However there is clearly a
need for further work and support in this area to sustain these developments.
Environmental NGOs are clearly well networked, and other sub-sectors are developing
networks as well. Tensions can arise in leadership of networks due to personality issues
and the competitive nature of the NGO sector which can hamper effective network
developments such as wider experience and learning dissemination. These tensions are
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 65
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
unfortunately often due to the competitive nature of the funding available, which leads to
NGOs being unwilling to share experience, lest other NGOs seize a competitive advantage
on them. This was noted in interviews in the Czech Republic and other countries.
Cross-sectoral networking within NGO Box 23. Slovenian good practice support to
sectors is still an issue in most networking NGOs
Under the European Social Fund 2007-2013, Slovenia
countries; for example the Gremium in
is supporting capacity building of NGOs from a strategic
Slovakia, which previously brought perspective. It supports creation of so-called horizontal,
together all NGOs at both regional and regional and sectoral networks. The task of the
national levels, has closed, and beneficiary, acting as a horizontal network, is to look
although there has been the after issues that affect all NGOs. The beneficiary,
acting as regional network, focuses on capacity building
development of a variety of new of NGOs in their region, as well as identifying how
platforms, co-ordinated working across local/regional NGOs can support and carry out an
the various sectors has to some extent active role in regional development. Sectoral networks
been lost. This can lead to separate (such as environment, health, voluntarism, spatial
policy, drugs, and sport) support NGOs operating in
development, so that the Intermediary
their sector. Each project applicant needs to identify
in Slovakia with a strong background in NGOs that are to be included in the network, identify
rights work was not able to work with their needs and weaknesses, and on that basis carry
the Intermediary working with child out workshops and training for them. Funds are also
protection NGOs. available to support dialogue with the government and
relevant sectoral ministries.
Partnerships and networks will succeed where participants see and receive direct benefits
from network involvement (see Box 23). There is clearly good practice and modelling in
those three countries where the Intermediaries have been consortia of NGOs - Hungary,
Romania and Bulgaria. Encouraging partnership working between NGOs within the
specific criteria for the NGO Funds could also enable more established NGOs to partner
with smaller, weaker or un-registered NGOs. Such partnerships can contribute to capacity
building and to general strengthening of the NGO sector, particularly at local levels and for
grass-roots organisations.
4.2.11 Competition between capital and regions
There are a range of issues which relate to the comparative strength of NGOs in capital
and major cities and those elsewhere in most countries. In Lithuania, there were
suspicions on the part of NGOs that much of the funding had been allocated to Vilnius-
based NGOs, and in Cyprus a focus on Nicosia was inevitable as the place where both
Greek and Turkish NGOs could most
Box 24. Linking local and regional NGOs
easily gain access.73 In Romania, the The beneficiaries pointed out that there are stronger
inclusion of two regionally-based NGOs NGO organisations operating on a regional level whose
in the Intermediary consortium enabled experience should be linked with the knowledge of a
a wider regional reach for the NGO local organisation to implement joint initiatives – the
local NGOs, often smaller and not experienced enough,
Funds and also more knowledge about
have limited access to Funds promoting human rights,
local issues and potentialities. The democracy or environmental protection – if these
Czech Intermediary had a long history efforts could be combined, local NGOs could do more
of regional grant making as did the for the local benefit thus contributing to the
Intermediaries in Slovakia. The quota development of regions.
End beneficiaries Focus Group, Poland
system for regional grants, as operated
in Latvia and the Czech Republic, could be a possible approach to address imbalances in
distribution of funding between main cities and other area. Suggestions were made in
several countries about ways in which local NGOs could be more involved in sub-projects,
such as through partnerships with national or stronger NGOs. This could also be a
mechanism whereby unregistered locally-based organisations could also benefit from
support from the Fund. In Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, support to rural areas was
specifically mentioned as being a priority.
73
The NGO Fund covers sub-projects in all regions of the island with varied types of activities.
66 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.3 USING APPROPRIATE FUNDING PROCESSES
In terms of the mechanisms for the NGO Funds, much depends on what the Funds are
intended to achieve. There is a distinction between Funds that are intended to support the
activities of the NGO sector, and through these activities to support the development of its
capacities; and Funds which are intended to tackle social, economic and environmental
issues, which may have NGOs as primary end beneficiaries, or as only one of a wider
range of end beneficiaries. This distinction will affect the appropriateness of mechanisms
that are deployed for applications, assessment and implementation of sub-projects.
4.3.1 Use of mechanisms from other funding programmes – a need
for balance
Application and payment processes
As the evidence in Chapter 3 shows, where Intermediaries have been required to adopt
procedures that are directly taken from other funding programmes, such as EU Structural
Funds or the main EEA and Norway Grants, there is a risk that a lack of appropriate
capacity in the NGO sector can lead to sub-projects which have significant potential being
rejected - often as non-compliant. These procedures have application requirements, such
as the provision of extensive documentation, and require skills to develop sub-projects
which meet the stringent tests of these funds, and to write up high quality proposals, which
skills are still weak within the NGO sector in many countries. This is particularly true for
smaller or less-experienced NGOs and can result in the same few NGOs being able to
benefit from available funding schemes at a time when they are few accessible NGO
funding schemes in the beneficiary states.
It is however recognised that in some countries, legislation or regulations required the
conformity of these NGO Funds with:
 the processes and compliance requirements of the main EEA and Norway Grants
(for instance in Latvia, where specific legal provisions have been adopted for the
overall programme);
 or with other funding programmes such as the EU Structural Funds.
However, in other countries, there was significantly more flexibility, as in Hungary,
Romania and Bulgaria. Thus, there is a continuum along which the mechanisms of the
NGO Funds lie:
 from the less bureaucratic, but still rigorous approaches found in Bulgaria, Hungary
and Romania, linked to the FMO;
 through a range of countries where, for instance, NGOs are exempted from state
procurement rules, and where though the funding comes into the state budget it is
treated separately as funding from a foreign donor - a ring-fenced National
Programme;
 to the position in Slovakia, where the strict application of bureaucratic procedures
and accounting rules has led to major problems (see Annex 3).
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 67
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
One of the benefits of the NGO Funds for Box 25. Demanding administrative burdens for
NGOs has been payment in advance, sub-project beneficiaries
rather than on results or in arrears as is NGOs are concerned with the administration burden
the case with many EU funds. However, of the NGO Fund. In some cases administrative
as has been noted from Portugal, the requirements entail difficulties for project
implementation. Lack of flexibility was mentioned as
payment authority for the NGO Funds is negative aspect of the implementation of the grant
the same payment authority that scheme. However certain measures to simplify
manages EU European Social Funds administrative aspects of sub-project implementation
(ESF), uses a reporting system that is also have been taken
close to that used to manage ESF, and it Lithuania Key Informants Focus Group
has demonstrated difficulties in “…much detailed and complicated administration;
incorporating the advance payment compared to the other funders it is much more time
consuming, and the rules applied for the state budget
system into its processes.74 Additionally Funds and other public sources used by the public
the interpretation of FMO requirements administration are not so strict. Some requirements
against the current standard procedures are exceeding standard local legislation and are
of the payment authority has increased illogical, and the introduced changes required
retrospective revision of reporting.
complexities. This has caused particular
Individual grantee, Slovakia
difficulties for end beneficiaries.
„Some NGOs criticize heavy burden for
administration of the sub-projects. However the
However, there is a counter view. As Embassy is of the opinion that procedures set in the
noted in the comment from the national legislation must be followed and NGOs
Norwegian Embassy in Lithuania above, should use the opportunity to learn. Some of the sub-
it could be suggested that requiring project applicants would prefer to have a higher
degree of involvement of the donor in the set-up and
NGOs to go through an application and
operation of the NGO Fund, and some believe that
subsequent implementation process that the Intermediary should be an NGO. The end
parallels the main state and EU funds beneficiaries find the management of sub-projects
processes builds skills and can increase very demanding (public procurement, project
the possibilities of NGOs successfully administration and reporting). On the initiative of one
NGO, 19 beneficiaries wrote a letter to the Focal
applying to main EEA and Norway Grants Point explaining the difficulties they faced in
and to EU Structural Funds. This point implementation, such as unclear definition of some
has some validity and certainly in a costs, heavy administrative burden, and duplicate
number of countries (e.g. Slovenia), the controls by the auditors and the Secretariat.‟
learning benefits have been identified. Interview with Norwegian Embassy, Lithuania
However, if applied without appropriate
support being provided for applicants for sub-projects, it risks the exclusion from funding of
possibly innovative sub-projects which could have valuable outcomes. It also excludes
smaller, weaker (and newer) NGOs from having the learning opportunity of implementing
sub-projects within the framework of the NGO Funds and thereby increasing their
capacities for the future. There is also a concern that adopting these procedures mean that
only „larger, mature and experienced NGOs‟ (Slovakia) will be encouraged to apply, as for
the others accessing the grants would be beyond their capacity. This can mean, for
example, the exclusion of sub-projects that are developed by and focus on the specific
needs of marginalised or disadvantaged groups; for example in Slovakia, where no Roma
NGOs have achieved funding under the Slovak NGO Funds.
Thus, whilst it is important that there are appropriate measures in place to ensure that
NGO Funds are not misused or used corruptly, and that appropriate controls over financial
disbursements and assurance of sub-project outcomes, it can be suggested that the
74
The MoA states that the Intermediary is responsible to demonstrate and report, with valid documents, their expenditures
to the FP for analysis and validation by the FP and Paying Authority. The FP and particularly the Paying Authority,
interprets that „expenditure‟ refers to all expenditure directly made by the Intermediary (within their own budget) and
their end beneficiaries. The Intermediary has a different view. They consider that „expenditure‟ refers to their direct
management expenses, according to budget and the advance payments to end beneficiaries. The Intermediary
considers that it is their role as Intermediary to review, analyse and validate the expenses of end beneficiaries (as stated
in the MoA with the FP) and the interpretation of the FP/Paying Authority represents a de-legitimization of their role as
Intermediary, a lack of trust to their control capacity and the introduction of a new unnecessary filter that will only bring
delays to the process.
68 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
burden of bureaucratic procedures on the NGOs, both in applying for grants and in
implementing sub-projects, has been excessive in some countries. It would be more
appropriate if participating governments could be encouraged to relax over-onerous
procedures for the NGO grants. Any such process would need to be closely linked to the
development of clear criteria as to what types of organisations would be eligible for such
grants, under a more “relaxed” regime.
Simplified and flexible processes can enable wider reach of the NGO Funds. Relaxing
procedures (such as state aid and procurement regulations75 and the extensive
administrative requirements associated with other funds) can ensure that smaller NGOs
are not overburdened with an internal bureaucracy that will either prevent them from
applying for grants for sub-projects, or hinder the effective implementation of their sub-
projects if they become end beneficiaries.
4.3.2 Ensuring clarity of overall rules and procedures
The FMO guidelines and procedures were quite general and not detailed. As the evidence
shows, in some countries this led to difficulties of interpretation, not just for the Focal Point
but also for the Intermediary. Where the Intermediary does not relate directly to the FMO
this can leave the Intermediary in serious difficulties, as it can be open to unreasonable
requirements in the name of fulfilling FMO rules. There is a need for more detailed rules
for future funding streams, but these need to be a framework which can allow for flexibility
for each country Fund. However, this framework also needs to take account of the issues
raised throughout this section about appropriate criteria for sub-projects, assessment
processes, and mechanisms for the disbursement of the NGO Funds. Where procedures
are over-cumbersome, or where they lead to delays in transfers of grants to end
beneficiaries, they can impede the achievement of sub-project objectives. Expectations of
the structure of the Fund, its terms of reference and the responsibilities of each actor also
need to be clarified. MoUs need to be clear and not subject to different interpretations
which can lead to institutional tensions and operational delays.76
Changes in processes, as a result of Box 26. Example of limitations on flexibility
learning from monitoring and feedback At the stage of their application to be an Intermediary,
from applicants and end beneficiaries the two organisations have presented in great detail
(as was the case in Hungary) should all procedures and steps to be followed during the
also be part of the process reviews application and selection process. To some extent
that was limiting since they had to follow the initially
between the Intermediary and the FMO. set framework and sometimes it was not the best
However, as the example in Box 26 possible choice. Their opinion is that these steps and
shows, this was not the case in Bulgaria; procedures should be only broadly defined at the
and where the Intermediary has no stage when the offer is presented and then they can
be further specified together with the FMO according
direct relationship with the FMO, any to the changes in the dynamic situation.
flexibility has been difficult to achieve. Interview with Intermediary, Bulgaria
Where NGO Funds have been the most
flexible, they have been viewed in a very positive light.
The diversity of systems has led to very different experiences in the beneficiary states.
Whilst it is still suggested that “one size does not fit all”, in relation to recommendations on
procedures, it can be suggested that negotiations to achieve less bureaucratic
mechanisms for the Funds in all countries need to build on the experiences of those
75
To be addressed more fully in Section 4.3.2.
76
Particularly commented on from Portugal, where the MoU is seen to be ambiguous, and where unclear “de facto”
leadership between the Payment Authority and the Focal Point has led to tensions and the existence of multiple
verification filters imposed by the Payment Authority.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 69
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
countries where exemption from the more exacting requirements of the main EEA and
Norway Grants has been achieved.
The following sections will cover in more detail some specific areas which have caused
problems and where some simplification and clear FMO guidelines would be valuable.
State aid and procurement rules
The use of State Aid rules and procurement requirements in the NGO Funds has been
difficult for NGOs in countries where these have applied. In the three countries where the
Intermediary was directly contracted by the FMO, they have not been applied; in Poland,
state procurement rules do not apply to NGOs, nor did they apply in Estonia or the Czech
Republic for this Fund. In Estonia, end beneficiaries were advised to get several offers,
money for investment was limited to 20% and market prices are mainly known (e.g. for
computers). Issues related to the risks of conflict of interest are incorporated in the
contract. It was also recognised that small NGOs in some rural areas would have
difficulties in going out to competitive tender, because there are not many appropriate
service providers in these areas. In the Czech Republic, the Focal Point came to an
agreement in 2005 with the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Office over state aid rules and
public procurement, where end beneficiaries up to a maximum of €50,000 would be
exempt from these regulations. Where requirements such as the use of state procurement
processes are contractually required, NGOs will need support from the Intermediary,
through guidance and training, to ensure that they achieve compliance with these
procedures. This increases the scope of the Intermediary in relation to support of sub-
projects during their implementation, beyond a supervisory and monitoring role.
In Poland, the state aid rules were applied with a De Minimis provision, and were
exempted from public procurement regulations:
“The Beneficiaries of NGO Fund shall be released from the application of the public
procurement procedures relating to tasks carried out within sub-projects financed from the
Norwegian Financial Mechanism and EEA Financial Mechanism, unless the Beneficiaries
or Partner/s are obliged legally to apply the Public Procurement Law. Beneficiaries, who
are not bound by public contract award procedures defined in the Public Procurement Law,
shall be obliged to spend the Funds Box 27. Procurement
granted in a way ensuring its optimal use, A special regulation by the Cabinet of Ministers is
according to the best economic practices valid for NGOs; for procurement below 50,000 Ls
and enabling full and fair competition (€75,000) procurement procedure is not prescribed,
however the Intermediary introduced simplified
between potential contractors” procedures from 3,000 Ls to ensure transparent
procedures and value for money: tender must be
This appears to be a fair and reasonable published on web site/newspaper, offers received,
compromise, requiring “optimal use” of minutes of selection (justification of decision),
NGO Funds, whilst freeing the end declaration regarding conflict of interest signed. They
usually check the names within NGOs with the
beneficiaries from the burden of public names of sub-contractors (e.g. one person is
procurement procedures. However in involved in company and NGO). It was their intention
Latvia, procurement procedures were to increase transparency of operations and to make
required even where small grants were NGOs think of possible conflicts of interest.
Intermediary Interview, Latvia
awarded (see Box 27).
“De Minimus” rules
As noted above, in Poland the State Aid rules were applied with a De Minimis provision,
i.e. at assumed minimal value. De Minimis can also be applied where an end beneficiary
may be producing goods or services as an integral part of their sub-project activity, which
may then be sold wholly for public benefit. However, the De Minimis rule should be further
clarified in the future, as there is a discrepancy between the understanding of the Ministry
of Finance in Bulgaria and that of the FMO. The Intermediary has chosen to apply the
FMO position – e.g. if there are products from the sub-projects which are sold then the
70 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
funding is to be declared as De Minimis. The Ministry of Finance is querying this
interpretation. In all countries, this understanding needs to be clarified, as the application
or not of De Minimis could have a significant effect where NGOs are developing activities
which could be seen as social enterprises, and thereby “trading” but for wholly public
(rather than private) benefit. In terms of longer-term sustainability of NGOs in these
countries, the encouragement of social enterprise could be critical, but in terms of the
issues raised by state aid rules and De Minimis provisions, current arrangements in some
countries could undermine this type of development.
Overhead/core/management costs
The issue of contribution to core or sub-project management costs has been raised in
most countries and the limit of 10% which was set by the FMO has been considered to be
too low.77 From Bulgaria and Slovakia, it was noted that applicants were “hiding” these
expenses within the expenses for sub-
Box 28. Funding management/core costs
project activities. In Slovakia there was All the participants were unanimous that the
also a real lack of clarity about what could percentage of the expenses for the management of
count as core or sub-project management the projects was too low (up to 10% from the overall
costs, as opposed to any staffing costs, in eligible expenditures). They were definite that it is
part reflecting a lack of clarity in the FMO not always possible to count only on the voluntarism
of the people working in NGOs. Different examples
guidelines. In all of the beneficiary states were given: project manager with only 6 days
there are short-falls of funding available approved to work within a 12 month sub-project; a
for general support for core costs so it is sub-project which was implemented in 3 towns
not surprising that NGOs will see sub- simultaneously where rent had to be paid and it was
not approved; in one sub-project the position of the
projects funded under the NGO Funds as sub-project coordinator was removed altogether,
assisting with their core costs. Whilst it is another sub-project budget was reduced by 40%.
important that NGOs do not come to see End beneficiaries‟ Focus Group, Bulgaria
these Funds as the main way of funding
their core costs, as this raises issues of sustainability, there needs to be recognition that
implementing sub-projects does incur core management costs for an organisation. Some
examples were given in Focus Groups in some countries of sub-projects being refused
funding for staff costs, even where staff were necessary to ensure the delivery of a sub-
project‟s activities. The core costs issue, however, is clearly one that the FMO can clarify.
Co-financing through „in - kind‟ contributions
Co-financing through „in-kind‟ contributions also caused problems in some countries. In
the original proposal from the Intermediary in the Czech Republic, it was envisaged that up
to 50% of co-financing could be „in-kind‟. When the Civil Society Development Foundation,
NROS, discovered the complexity of the requirements for this type of arrangement, it was
agreed no „in-kind‟ contributions would be offered.
Latvia however introduced „in-kind‟ contributions. This was their first experience of using
this mechanism and whilst there were many initial issues, now this will also be introduced
in Structural Fund systems. NGOs need to provide documents to prove the contribution
and there must be some reports, and evidence in accountancy registers (income and
expenses „in-kind‟). This mechanism can be used to cover up to 5% of the total eligible
sub-project costs in the NGO Fund or 50% of the NGO‟s own contribution in Society
Integration Fund. Demonstrating co-financing is a real difficulty in Slovakia as end
beneficiaries have to show co-financing not as a sum across a year but for every month of
the year.78
77
In Romania, only 7 % was available for administrative expenses.
78
A well known Human Rights organisation was not able to show that their co financing was available for every month of
the year so has completely given up claiming their management fee.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 71
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Clarity and guidance would be helpful in relation to all of these issues. Whilst it is
recognised that the „in-kind‟ contribution allowance may depend on the overall
mechanisms adopted by each beneficiary state, a general recommendation that this
should be adopted would be welcome. It would also assist in developing concepts of
volunteering and voluntary contributions of skills to NGO sub-projects, an issue (the
promotion of more voluntarism) that has been raised in every beneficiary state.
4.3.3 Application procedures
Application processes were expected to elicit sufficient detail from the applicants as to the
activities of the sub-projects and their expected outcomes. However, in some countries
application forms were seen as over-complex. Again, such bureaucratic procedures can
also disadvantage smaller less experienced NGOs from the regions, where the evidence
suggests that NGOs are likely to be weaker, but where it is also important that the
distribution of funds is not seen as favouring only those NGOs which are more
experienced and located in capital cities. And one of the key issues here is how far less-
experienced and weaker NGOs are able to present their proposals adequately in the
required written format. As a report from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee on Cyprus
noted: 79
“The government recognises the sector as a key partner in achieving many of its goals,
and would like to move closer towards the EU model of government-NGO partnership in
service delivery. However, the government retains doubts over the NGO sectors‟ ability to
fulfil that role. The government‟s doubts are not without merit, and a number of
respondents stated that many NGOs lack the skills and capacity to meet expected
standards for proposal writing, reporting and project management. A result is that the
same small number of known and trusted NGOs benefit from government funding.”
“Proposal writing” to conform to a donor‟s requirements has become a required and
acquired skill on the part of some NGOs. Understanding of sub-project design and sub-
project management has often taken second
place to the skills of putting on paper what Box 29. Badly written proposals for good
the NGO thinks the donor wants to hear. As projects
“One of the major problems with the application
a result, much innovation and the potential process was that NGOs had difficulty in writing
for the funding of sub-projects which could (proposals), which meant that some sub-projects
have a significant outcome have been lost were good but were poorly written and thus due
where an NGO may lack the skills in to lack of clarity were not approved. This was
the case with one approved sub-project which
“proposal writing”, as demonstrated by the
had very good potential as a project, but due to
example in Box 29 from Cyprus.80 weak (proposal) writing skills many aspects of
the sub-project were not emphasized leading to
There are two linked issues here – the ability a cut of around 60% of their budget.
of NGOs to design good sub-projects and the Unfortunately it came out to be a very good sub-
project with very low budget as a consequence,
skills of NGOs in presenting their ideas for thereby also influencing the development and
sub-projects in the form required for the impact of the sub-project and its target groups.”
application. The ability to think about and to Interview with Intermediary, Cyprus
design a sub-project which can achieve
significant outcomes is not necessarily linked to the ability to express the sub-project
appropriately. This is where both support for applicants through workshops and
assessment processes which can “look behind the words on the page” are important.
In Hungary, following a feedback process from successful and unsuccessful applicants on
procedures after the first round, changes were made in the processes which enabled less
experienced NGOs to apply successfully. The Intermediary now works more closely with
79
Norwegian Helsinki Committee Report “Civil Society and Legal Framework. Cyprus”, undated.
80
In the notes of the interview with the Intermediary, the term “reports” is used, but refers to proposals rather than reports
written for monitoring purposes.
72 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
less-experienced NGOs to develop good sub-project ideas that might not have passed
through assessment based solely on what was presented on paper as the proposal.
It therefore appears from the evidence that there is a need to balance effective
procedures, which are appropriate for NGOs with a range of skills and experience in
applying for funds, whilst ensuring that there is no risk of corrupt practice in relation to the
use of the NGO Funds by the end beneficiaries. This means designing application forms
that can steer a less experienced applicant through the thinking and the narrative that is
required to enable a fair assessment to be made of their sub-project idea. Experienced
grant makers provide training and support during the application process through web
sites, workshops and on the phone and by e mail. Again it is the NGO or not-for-profit
sector Intermediaries with extensive experience of helping NGOs apply for EU Phare and
Transition funding whose practice is strongest in this area.
4.3.4 Two-stage process for applications
Hungary has tried a two-stage process for applications under its third call for proposals.81
Latvia has planned a two-stage application process for the Swiss contribution, and was
interested in introducing such a process for future NGO Funds. The first submission would
be of an outline idea for a sub-project. These can then be assessed against a number of
criteria, such as compliance with the criteria for the Fund, possibility that the sub-project
will contribute to the overall achievement of Fund objectives, innovation, piloting of new
methodologies, reaching out to marginalised or disadvantaged groups etc. Following the
first-stage assessment, more extensive support could then provided to applicants to
develop their sub-project ideas, which would be particularly valuable for less-experienced
NGOs and would contribute to their capacity building through this process.
4.3.5 Size of grants
Maximum and minimum grants have varied from country to country. It can be argued that
fewer and larger grants can cut down on administration costs, and that larger sub-projects
can potentially demonstrate more impact. However, this view can be challenged. It is not
the size of grants that that determines impact, but innovation, creativity and effective use of
funds to make a difference – to secure outcomes. What can be suggested is that the
minimum and maximum for any individual country need to be determined by knowledge of
the absorptive capacity of the NGO sector, how far the grants should reach to smaller
NGOs with less capacity to manage large grants and sub-projects, and the criteria set for
the NGO Funds in each beneficiary state (e.g. partnership working, innovative practice
etc.). Clearly the capacity of an Intermediary body to manage a large number of small
grants would need to be taken into account in the selection process, if smaller grants are
to be made available in the beneficiary states. Poland has successfully implemented a
micro-grants scheme and it can be suggested that differentiation of funding schemes, with
small-grant schemes, with less extensive but still accountable application processes, could
be helpful in increasing the range of the grants.
4.3.6 Assessment and selection of sub-projects
In all countries, assessment procedures were developed that aimed at utilising the
experience of qualified assessors and panels of experts and others. It was not surprising
that there were challenges in some countries over the impartiality of assessors, particularly
where assessors are being drawn from a comparatively small “pool”, as they were
expected to have knowledge of NGOs and also of specific thematic areas. It is fully
appreciated that in most, if not all, circumstances in these countries, there is a need for
confidentiality over the identity of assessors, and it should be noted that this is usual
81
Romania has used a two-stage administrative compliance and eligibility check, but not a real two-stage process as
discussed here.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 73
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
practice. However, in Latvia, the failure to identify the assessors led to some issues over
whether appropriate public procurement procedures had been used during the recruitment
process. There is however no significant evidence emerging from any of the countries that
there was corruption of processes. The use of scoring mechanisms and also of dual
assessment is critical in ensuring that all eligible applications are reviewed fairly.
Much depends in any assessment process as to the criteria that are used, how far these
criteria are drawn up to reflect the outcomes that the overall programme wishes to achieve
and whether weighting is used to reflect specific issues in a beneficiary state, such as a
wish to achieve regional balance, or to ensure that smaller NGOs, or NGOs working with
particularly marginalised groups are recognised in the final portfolio of sub-projects. This
issue will be explored further in Chapter 5 of this report; however it can be suggested here
that assessment criteria should be published with the application procedures, so that
applicants are made aware of the criteria on which they will be assessed. If these
guidelines and the assessment criteria are drawn up in appropriate ways, this can ensure
that key issues that may be deemed beneficial in relation to the overall programme
outcomes, such as the involvement of end beneficiaries in the design and implementation
of sub-projects, involvement or partnership with state authorities, or coalitions of NGOs,
etc, can be fully considered by applicants in the design of their sub-projects. It would be
useful for the FMO to provide detailed advice and guidance on this for any future
programme.
4.3.7 Results-based systems
As the subject of results-based systems has been raised by the NFP in Slovakia (see
Box 30), it is important to deal with it in this section of the report. As is very clear from
other parts of this report, the payment in advance to
NGOs is of great importance. As most NGOs do not Box 30. Payment by results
have reserves or other resources from which they The FP in Slovakia is considering
can cover any problems in cash flow, any system moving all NGO funds into the
which was payment in arrears or against results individual project model with single
NGOs running programmes that involve
would severely disadvantage, if not prove a small number of partner NGOs in
impossible, for NGOs. Results-based systems can order to reduce the management costs
also suggest that the focus of a programme is on of many small NGOs and, with fewer
outputs or activities, and as noted above, the key NGOs, to identify the impact more
issues are in fact those of process and outcomes, effectively. They would like to move to
a results-oriented approach by which
rather than straight deliverables. The evaluation they mean payment in arrears against
team would strongly urge the rejection of any output- outputs.
based or payments in arrears systems.
4.3.8 Conclusions about appropriate funding processes
As the evidence and the above analysis have shown, there are significant differences in
each beneficiary state, with no single model of Fund delivery. Whilst some processes are
governed under specific regulations enacted to enable the NGO Fund to be implemented
in the country, in other cases (in particular the three countries where the Intermediary is
directly contracted to the FMO) there has been considerably more flexibility and the NGO
Funds have been regarded by the NGO sectors there as easy to access, responsive and
flexible. With this flexibility there has been an awareness of the need for rigorous
assessment and monitoring during implementation, to ensure that risks are appropriately
managed. However, these NGO Funds have also been able to break down more of the
barriers of access to grants for smaller and less-experienced NGOs and to encourage
innovation.
If it is seen as important that access to the NGO Funds is as wide as possible, within the
overall objectives set for any future Funds, then funding process mechanisms may need to
74 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
be considered which ensure that it is not the same small number of stronger NGOs that
can access and benefit from the NGO Funds.
The key challenges that arise from the above issues are:
 How far procedures that apply to both national budget funds and the NGO Funds
rely on NGOs having well-developed skills in proposal writing and reporting, and
whether good sub-project ideas are being rejected as a result of some types of
NGOs lacking these skills;
 How far alternative mechanisms (for applications and for implementation support)
can be used to build skills and capacities within NGOs, whereby the processes of
the NGO Funds themselves contribute to overall capacity building within the NGO
sector within a country;82
 How assurance in relation to risks – sub-project failures, corrupt practice etc. – can
be built in if state funding mechanisms, such as standardised application and
assessment procedures, procurement requirements and procedures for financial
reporting and disbursements, are not followed by the NGO Funds.
Thus there are a number of issues that need to be considered:
 How far processes for application and for contractual compliance during
implementation should diverge from those used for national budget funding, and if
they do not diverge, the implications for the reach of the Funds;
 If processes are to be adapted specifically to ensure the widest possible reach of
the Funds, what are these appropriate processes;
 What the management, and therefore the resource implications, are of providing a
flexible and supportive sub-project application and implementation process;
 or, where there is no or less divergence from processes used for national budget
funds, what support is needed to build the capacities of participating NGOs to
access the NGO Funds.
There is therefore a need to find appropriate processes which overcome a dependency on
NGOs having the skills in proposal writing and which discriminate against smaller or less
skilled and experienced NGOs. Whilst it can be suggested that skills can be developed
through applications to Funds where a clearly expressed proposal is required, and where
detailed feedback is given to unsuccessful applicants,83 which can enable them to improve
their application skills,84 what also needs to be considered are:
 Appropriate application forms which can guide a less experienced applicant
through the requirements of a sub-project proposal, with guidelines for applicants
that are clear and indicate clearly what is required in each section of an application
form;
 Workshops or other kinds of support at the pre-application stage, to provide
detailed guidance on what will be looked for in the proposal for funding;85
 Transparent assessment criteria, published with the application details, so that
applicants know and understand the basis on which their proposals will be
assessed;
 Transparent assessment processes: it is not clear in all countries whether all
applications were assessed by two independent assessors nor whether
representatives from the Focal Point, the Donor States and the FMO participated in
the Selection Committee as observers;
82
Supplementary to, or instead of, specific funds used for capacity building within the overall NGO Fund.
83
This feedback is given by most but not all Intermediaries.
84
This was found in Hungary, Estonia and the Czech Republic, where applicants that applied in each of the three rounds
were seen to have significantly improved their applications each time, as a result of the feedback given by the
evaluators.
85
This workshop help is given by most but not all Intermediaries.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 75
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Possible two-stage processes, with an initial sub-project outline, and with
applicants selected after Stage 1 being offered further support to develop their full
proposals.86
4.4 THE ROLE OF INTERMEDIARIES – COMMUNICATION AND
SUPPORT
Intermediaries had two important functions – the communication of information about the
NGO Funds, and providing support to both applicant and end beneficiaries during the
implementation process.
4.4.1 Communication and information about the NGO Funds
In all countries a range of means of communication about the NGO Funds took place,
including workshops and information Box 31. Promotion of the Funds
sessions in regions. The use of Pre-announcements made on the website;
electronic communications, including announcements of the calls were made in one
websites, was very important. It is clear Estonian and one Russian speaking national
newspaper, press release, NGO mailing lists were
that the visibility of the NGO Funds, to used, web site information; 15 min radio show that
the appropriate sectors, was achieved in takes place every week was used.
all countries. Umbrella organisation network of Estonian NGOs
prepares newsletter and includes this information
Information seminars take place in all 15 regions;
What is critical from the Estonian In addition, seminars aiming at discussion on
example (see Box 31) is not just the appropriate projects / best practice shared by
information, but also the seminars on previous end beneficiaries were organised and
best practice and the inputs from received good feedback; participation was high - 2
seminars organised in Tallinn;
previous end beneficiaries. Clearly, if the Five days before deadline a seminar with consultancy
aim of the NGO Funds is to enable for completion of applications takes place in Tallinn;
NGOs to achieve outcomes in line with for the last call also one was organised in Tartu;
the key objectives of the NGO Funds, the There was a separate seminar organised also in
Russian language – several applications supported.
provision of support which enables NGOs Interview with Estonian Intermediary
to provide good applications is important.
This issue has also been highlighted in the example from Cyprus noted in Box 29 about
the need to enhance the skills of NGOs to write good proposals.
4.4.2 Ongoing support
Whatever the mechanism adopted, the Intermediary in every country has needed to
provide help and support with application processes and with ongoing support during the
implementation of sub-projects, especially in relation to financial accounting. The use of
workshops to provide training to NGOs, both at the application stage and post contract, is
clearly of importance and valuable. In
particular, workshops for end Box 32. Workshops for successful applicants
beneficiaries, to ensure that they All successful end beneficiaries participated in one-
understood the financial accounting and day training dedicated to the requirements for the
other reporting requirements were critical. management and reporting of the sub-projects.
They are also encouraged to contact Intermediary
Again this was an area of good practice team whenever they have questions or encounter
adopted by experienced NGO grant problems during the project implementation. The
makers, despite limited resources where, Intermediary team has constant contact with the end
in a number of countries, capacity building beneficiaries. Most of the requests were related to
transfers between the budget items even when they
by the Intermediaries was not permitted. are within the 10% about which they need not ask
permission.
If the aim of the Funds is to reach as Interview with Intermediary, Bulgaria
86
An adaptation of this process was used in Hungary for the third round of applications, with selected NGOs attending a
workshop which provided support with the development of final sub-project proposals.
76 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
widely as possible, including smaller, newer and less-experienced NGOs, then the issue of
ongoing support from the Intermediary becomes even more important. As noted above in
this section, the processes of application and implementation of sub-projects can
contribute significantly to capacity building and skills development in participating NGOs,
but this development will only occur where resources are deployed to assist the NGOs in
this respect. It can therefore be suggested that this type of capacity building is and should
be integral to the Fund processes themselves, and not solely an additional activity funded
from the sub-project (grants) budget. This would suggest increasing the resources
available to Intermediaries specifically for this type of support and capacity building,
including workshops for experience exchange between sub-projects, enabling the sharing
of learning and good practice, as well as challenges and difficulties.
4.5 TYPES OF INTERMEDIARIES AND CONTRACTUAL
ARRANGEMENTS
If, as noted in the first section of this Chapter, understanding of the NGO sector is
important in successful Fund delivery, so the selection of Intermediaries is of crucial
importance, as are the contractual relationships that are entered into. This section will
comment on these issues.
4.5.1 Diversity of Intermediaries
There was variance in the experience and knowledge of the Intermediaries about the NGO
sector and its support needs in applying for funding and implementing sub-projects. Whilst
end beneficiaries in the Focus Groups appreciated the support given by all of the
Intermediaries during sub-project implementation, where NGOs and not-for-profit
organisations, rather than government departments or agencies, were contracted to
manage the NGO Funds, this was seen by end beneficiaries as more successful. This
success is partly due to competence in grant making and management and partly to a
good understanding of the sector.
It may be significant that in all the three countries where the Intermediary was directly
contracted by the FMO, the Intermediary in fact was composed of a consortium of NGOs.
Whilst NGOs and not-for-profit organisations were the Intermediaries in other countries as
well (Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), a number of points arise
from the contracting of consortia:
 It demonstrated to the NGO sector, partnership working and the benefits of creating
consortia/coalitions to deliver sub-projects;
 It provided for the pooling of a wider range of knowledge and experience of the
diversity of the NGO sector – and in Romania, enabled a wider regional reach as
two of the partners were regionally-based NGOs;
 It enabled the pooling of wide experience in effective grant-making;
 It ensured that the NGO sector itself felt a confidence that there was significant
understanding of their needs and issues.
Whilst the most flexible of the NGO Funds could be seen to be the Hungary NGO Fund,
there have clearly been benefits in all of the three FMO directly-contracted Funds,
particularly in relation to the reductions in administration between the different involved
institutions. The most difficulties appear to have arisen where the Intermediary was a
governmental body. Where, additionally, a separate Payment Authority has been involved,
external to the National Focal Point, this has additionally increased the bureaucracy (e.g.
Portugal and Slovakia); however the presence of a third agency need not be a difficulty if
all parties communicate well and avoid duplicating work (e.g. the Czech Republic).
Mechanisms which require any double and triple checking of reports and payments,
particularly by different agencies, can lead to delays in payments – as has been seen in
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 77
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Portugal (or even, in some instances, non-payment). Whilst not examined for this
evaluation, it could be suggested that such extensive bureaucratic procedures can
increase the overall costs of administration of the NGO Funds, even if these costs are not
directly accounted for or attributed overall to the NGO Funds.
It can also be suggested that where procedures are overly bureaucratic, some of the
benefits of the NGO Funds may well be lost. Effective Intermediaries will ensure that
procedures aim to add value to the NGO Funds themselves, rather than diminish their
worth in the view of prospective and actual end beneficiaries. If the intention is to ensure
as wide a reach as possible of the available NGO Funds - to fund with complementarity to
other donor and state programmes, and to fund into the “spaces” that state funds in
particular either do not reach or where the state has withdrawn or would not fund (such as
for advocacy sub-projects which it might consider challenging to its position) - it can be
suggested that Intermediaries need to be able:
 To work flexibly to take account of the sub-project idea (including in the training of
assessors), rather than the skill of an NGO in submitting a well-worded proposal.
 To fully understand the needs of the sector and to respond to these needs.
 To demonstrate independence from excessive state bureaucracy, to ensure that
funds are allocated according to the priorities of the Fund itself rather than any
direct or indirect „political‟ considerations.
 To ensure that smaller NGOs without access to additional resources are not
disadvantaged by slow payment mechanisms.
 To be „trusted‟ by the NGOs as not being seen as an instrument of state funding.
 Have experience/understanding in running grant programmes and understanding of
national laws, rules and procedures that apply to the management of public money.
It is clear from the countries where NGOs and not-for-profit organisations were contracted
to manage the NGO Funds that this was seen as successful. As the Hungarian Focus
Group for end beneficiaries noted. “NGO funds should not be channelled through state
institutions as they do not know NGOs well, and are very slow and bureaucratic”. This
view is also reflected in the end beneficiaries‟ Focus Groups from countries where the
Intermediary was not an NGO; for instance in Lithuania, where comments from the end
beneficiaries‟ Focus Group included: “Administration of the projects supported by the NGO
Fund is very difficult. The main focus of the Secretariat is on administrative procedures
and not on contents of the project. There is no flexibility and it is extremely difficult and
time consuming to get approval even on small changes to the sub-project application”. In
Latvia, the Focus Group reported as a negative aspect of the Intermediary that there is not
always sufficient understanding of NGO particularities, but on the positive side, the
Intermediary was seen as supportive, flexible, understanding, and easy in
communication.87 The situation with private sector companies is not so clear cut especially
where they are already involved with the NGO sector. In Poland, both the NGO and the
private company Intermediaries were seen by most stakeholders (Focal Point, Norwegian
embassy and two Focus Groups) as performing equally well, though there were a few end
beneficiaries who did not feel that the private company had a sufficient understanding of
the needs of the NGO sector. It is in this context interesting that the private sector
Intermediary in Cyprus is now considering setting up a division for specific work on civil
society, as a result of its learning from its role as the Intermediary.
4.5.2 Profile of a strong Intermediary
Therefore, what does a good Intermediary look like? The following points have been
derived from the Focus Groups and interviews:
87
Half the end beneficiaries present at the Focus Group assessed the competence of the Intermediary as average to
good, and the other half said low to average. The Focal Point and Norwegian Embassy expressed satisfaction with the
Intermediary‟s performance.
78 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Active and trusting relationships with and detailed knowledge of all parts of NGO
sector including grass roots and regional groups;
 Organisation seeks clear evidence of need in developing an NGO Fund proposal,
engaging the NGO sector in the process;
 Experience of developing manuals and accounting systems that reflect size of
block grants and yet protect small NGOs from unreasonable demands;
 Experience of running grant programmes that involve detailed proposals with
targets and outcomes;
 Systems for good publicity and experience of running information events etc.;
 Support during application and implementation processes to end beneficiaries;
 Clear transparent assessment process for grants;
 Efficient payment and financial monitoring systems;
 Monitoring and evaluation procedures that focus on outcomes not just targets and
outputs and encourage self evaluation in end beneficiaries;
 A partnership approach to working with NGOs and government.
This would suggest that large NGOs or not-for-profit organisations would be most suitable
as Intermediaries, although experienced private sector companies that can demonstrate
sufficient experience and understanding of the NGO sector and its needs could also fit this
profile. There is a clear advantage of employing a consortium as the Intermediary, which
would provide a range of skills and experience in both grant-making and in thematic areas.
4.5.3 Direct contracting with the FMO
Should all Intermediaries be directly contracted by the FMO? Although this has clearly
worked well in the three countries where this arrangement is currently in place, it can be
suggested that this by-passing of the National Focal Point can reduce government
“ownership”88 of a programme that is focussed on civil society and NGOs and thereby risk
marginalising the Funds. The contribution that civil society should be bringing both to the
development of policies and strategies, and also in relation to new approaches to the
practical solution of societal issues, may also be lost. The separation of the NGO Funds in
this way also loses the national co-financing contribution, which may be a significant
indicator of governmental commitment to the role of the NGO sector.89 It is also
recognised that direct contracting of the Intermediary through the FMO would not be
acceptable to some governments, for a range of reasons. Thus direct contracting of
Intermediaries by the FMO has disadvantages in relation to what the EEA and Norway
Grants seek to achieve with the ownership of Funds by the relevant governments and the
implications of this for the relationship that can be encouraged between governments and
the NGO sector.
The evidence does however suggest that direct contracting by the FMO has worked well,
to the benefit of both the Intermediaries in three countries, and the sub-projects,
particularly in relation to the reduction in bureaucracy. It is a model that requires further
consideration, particularly as this could unify the rules and conditions for Fund
implementation (e.g. declaration of costs, what percentage of the budget can be spent on
administration; how management costs are defined, and the sharing of good practice for
application and assessment procedures).
4.5.4 All Intermediaries should be able to have direct contact with the
FMO.
Where the Intermediaries have experience of working directly with the FMO, the
experience is seen as positive. Where, however, direct contracting of Intermediaries by
88
It is debatable how real the ownership is when the FP and PAs are not usually based in ministries which relate to NGOs.
89
The Czech Republic does not make this contribution
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 79
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
the FMO may not be possible or appropriate, it does appear clear that there needs to be a
direct channel of communication between the Intermediary and the FMO. This means that
any clarification on guidelines etc. provided by the FMO or issues arising during
programme implementation can be directly raised with the Intermediary, rather than
channelled through, and possibly interpreted by, the National Focal Point.
Intermediaries‟ meetings have been greatly valued. Annual meetings should be
continued with more opportunities for Intermediaries to meet and exchange information.
There would be value in also creating opportunities for National Focal Points to meet and
exchange information.
4.6 DEVELOPING BILATERAL PARTNERSHIPS
Experience of the bilateral partnerships is varied across the countries, as Section 3.7 of
this report shows, and the detail in this section will not be repeated here. There is interest
in many of the countries in the possibilities of the extension of cross country working to
other countries in the EU, and in particular to other beneficiary states. In Hungary, there is
for instance an interest in possible cross-border partnerships with Romania, where many
of the issues that NGOs benefiting from the sub-projects are working on are similar, or
environmental sub-projects across the Czech/ Slovak border. It can be suggested that
there may be a need to enable two types of cross country partnerships – those with Donor
state NGOs and those within the beneficiary states.
One of the frequent comments that is heard about learning from other countries is that it is
“not directly relevant” as structures and institutional arrangements are different. The
commonality of this view is because there is often a misunderstanding of what can be
learned from trans-national partnerships and experience – the key focus of this type of
learning transfer though partnerships needs to be on good practice and process. And this
learning transfer can also be two-way, where NGOs from the “contributing” country also
use the experience to reflect on their own practices and find that they also learn in the
process.
However, whatever types of partnerships with NGOs from other countries are supported by
the Fund, the views of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee on the key attributes of a
successful partnership are critical:
 common understanding of content and strategy;
 good sub-project planning;
 building good sustainable relations;
 common understanding about culture - similarities and differences;
 agreement on financial framework;
 a long term perspective – which may need longer term funding – for instance over
2-3 to 5 years, if the real benefits of learning are to be achieved.
Again, as noted in Section 3.7, these issues are borne out by other evaluations of NGO
partnership programmes between different countries. A study of a long-term partnership
programme in 2008 found that partnership working was effective where it resulted in and
from:90
 The creation of real and effective partnerships, through which all participants
shared in the learning from activities (an equitable partnership and not consultancy
inputs only).
 A focus on process – not just on achieving an output, but recognising that the ways
in which an activity is carried out, and understanding why the processes are
90
Doing it Differently and Making a Difference – the History of Charity Know How and Allavida, July 2008, Christine
Forester.
80 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
important, can make a real difference in building confidence in individuals,
involvement in wider issues and more effective participation, particularly amongst
those who are marginalised or disadvantaged.
 That effective partnership and participation required listening, developing
understanding, being flexible in responses to the expressed needs of those
involved, enabling local ownership of resources and decision-making.91
„Lesson learning‟ emphasised the role of needs‟ assessment in successful sub-projects,
good partnership groundwork and communication, clear target groups and realistic
objectives. Again the value of good project management, and the role of local
administration support were identified as key, along with the need for activities to be locally
appropriate and take into account cultural and language issues.
What is clearly important is being clear about the reasons for any type of bilateral
partnerships, and also the time that can be allowed for an effective partnership, which will
result in longer-term benefits, to develop. “Partnerships” that are based solely or primarily
on the need to meet the criteria for funding, or to secure additional scores in an
assessment process, are unlikely to be productive and can result in resource wastage.
This suggests that more evaluation of needs and gaps in learning and skills in NGOs in the
beneficiary states would be beneficial in assisting in appropriate twinning, and a longer
time frame for partnership development needs to be given. This could suggest the
establishment of a seed fund, specifically for the development of bilateral partnerships with
donor state NGOs, for the exploration of possible sub-projects which could then be more
effectively developed in line with the good practice points made above and in Section 3.7.
If bilateral partnerships with donor state NGOs are to be more actively promoted in future
programmes, work will also need to be undertaken with the donor state NGO sectors, to
demonstrate to them the benefits of engaging in this type of trans-national working.
Additionally, whilst specific cross-border partnerships between NGOs in the beneficiary
states may not be feasible, experience sharing workshops between sub-projects in the
beneficiary states could be of value in sharing learning and in enabling links to be made. It
is suggested that NGO Funds could be allocated for this specific purpose, with such
workshops being organised through the Intermediaries themselves working in cross-border
partnership.
4.7 PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROLE OF THE NGO FUND IN THE
COUNTRIES AND WHAT THE FUND HAS ACHIEVED
The most significant impact of the NGO Funds has been their contribution to the growth
and development of the NGO sector in all beneficiary states. It is not only the financial
support which has benefited the sector, but also the recognition of the sector‟s role in
supporting social justice, promoting democracy and encouraging a more sustainable
approach to societal development, which are also key values framing the EEA and Norway
Grants overall. It is, however, difficult to assess the exact overall impact and results of the
Fund at this stage, as in all countries, particularly those where the separate NGO Fund
91
In the evaluation of the DFID Partnerships in the Non-Profit Sector funding scheme in 2004, Russian organisations were
asked what they saw as the main benefits to their organisation of this partnership, and whether the requirement to have
an International partner to work with provided an opportunity for new developments within their organisation. All
organisations listed benefits from this partnership, ranging from a strong emphasis on awareness of the British
experience and getting acquainted with new methods/models; to seeing the broader context and expanding the
spectrum of their sub-projects. Other benefits included image improvement, access to new information, their own
development as international experts, ability to participate in new competitions and apply for new grants, and the
opportunity to present new experience to the Russian governmental bodies. For many organisations there has been a
considerable growth in their local image by having an international partner, raising their status with both local
government officials and also with the public at large.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 81
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
was only established late (such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania) as the first sub-
projects are only just finishing. But some general conclusions can be drawn:
 Whilst there is some criticism from some countries (notably Lithuania, see Box 33)
that the funds have in the main been disbursed to narrow-interest groups or to
larger NGOs, the NGO Funds have also benefited smaller and grass-roots
organisations, building confidence and further developing and increasing their
activities. The Funds have also in some countries increased legitimacy for some
NGOs, and more recognition of their role.
 The Funds have addressed a Box 33. Dilemmas around identifying outcomes
gap in funding. One example NGOs question the outcome/ results of the Fund. The
is that for the first time, in NGO Fund was distributed without clear vision/
priorities. In some cases support was provided to
Portugal, two gay-lesbian
organisations representing narrow interest groups. No
organisations received assessment was made on how the sub-project/
institutional funds for sub- organisation contributes to development of democracy/
projects. civil society. More focused distribution of the fund may
have resulted in more visible changes in society. The
 The NGO Funds have in some financing of the Fund was rather limited and large
countries focused on the gap in changes should not be expected. The Fund was
funding of capacity building. mainly used for internal capacity building. There are no
Whilst it can be suggested that clear signs that the sub-projects addressed gender,
bilateral relations, sustainable development issues. It is
in most of these countries, there also difficult to assess the benefits of the Fund to the
has over the years been a whole NGO sector.
significant amount of training End Beneficiary Focus group, Lithuania
and capacity building funded by
many donors, there are still capacity gaps and needs, particularly for smaller and
newer NGOs. Capacity building and learning should be seen as an ongoing
process, as NGOs are faced with new challenges in the changing country context
and EU environment. Issues such as contracting out of services by governmental
authorities, increasing the diversity of funding resources, developing more effective
advocacy, citizen engagement and developing volunteerism are all challenges
facing the NGO sector in all countries and resources for capacity building can
assist in dealing with these and other NGO infrastructure challenges. In addition,
the turnover of staff in NGOs is considerable given the fragility of the sector. These
capacity-building needs have been addressed in different ways – from Estonia
where the Fund primarily focused on this issue, to Romania, where NGOs were
able to apply for an additional 30% grant specifically to support capacity building.
 Advocacy and awareness raising activities often suffer from similar lack of support,
and are encouraged in the Funds, with sub-projects developing such activities in
the field of discrimination, human rights, domestic violence, and trafficking.
 Good governance and legislative initiatives have been promoted. Good
governance is still a critical issue in many of these countries and increasing
transparency and accountability of government, through watchdog activities, is
important.
 The Funds have addressed key concerns, and particular some areas that are not
funded by other donors, and not eligible under EU funding. Human rights and
democracy often fall within this category but so too does environmental protection.
 NGOs have also been supported in their key role as providers of social,
educational and care services that are accessible, affordable, non-profit and
benefit particularly „at risk‟ groups. They were either mandated to provide such
services by the state or fill a gap in service provision that was no longer provided
by the state. They have also been encouraged in some countries to pilot new
methodologies or provide innovative services. In Romania, where the decision was
taken not to support social services in general, sub-projects in this area have
looked at strategic needs and recommended policy changes.
82 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
It can also be suggested that in some countries the actual involvement of the state,
through the MoU with government, can be seen as the instance of state (or quasi-state)
funding being allocated to the NGO sector, setting thereby an important indicator for the
Norwegian paradigm and the application of other state funds to the sector outside of these
financial mechanisms in the future.
However, there are some criticisms of the Fund from some countries (see Box 33). This
criticism suggests that many of the points made above in this section of the report need to
be considered by the FMO – clear guidelines for the establishment of the Funds, including
criteria, application and assessment processes, linked to the development of an overall
goal for the Funds, with specific country objectives based on needs determined with the
NGO sectors.
4.8 ENABLING INNOVATION AND SHARING LEARNING
Whilst not a specific aim of the NGO Funds, it is clear that in a number of countries, either
specifically or incidentally, innovation in practice has been developed in the sub-projects
(see Box 34).
Box 34. Examples of innovative projects
The fact that in countries such as
In Poland, under sub-sector 'Inclusion of disadvantaged
Portugal and Lithuania, sub-projects groups', a specialist stationary centre for pregnant and
have been supported which have post-natal women was created. It aimed to improve the
focussed on gay rights‟ issues is access to the medical service and enabling pregnant
significant. These types of sub- and post-natal women infected with the HIV virus and ill
from AIDS to perform the role of the mother, to return to
projects have broken through taboos full participation in social and professional life. It is the
and are therefore innovatory in these first systemic programme in Poland creating medical,
countries. In other countries, such as legal, social, and therapeutic services for this social
Hungary and Romania, innovation and group.
creativity, “encouraging new ways of In Slovakia, one sub-project resulted in new approach
dealing with old problems” have been to the management of protected meadows (area of 40
hectares). The processed biomass was provided to a
actively encouraged in the NGO heating plant. The pilot tests burning biomass proved to
Funds. Whilst not suggesting that a be better than straw, which is usually used. The
key focus of the NGO Funds in future processed biomass provided for use at the heating plant
programmes should be on innovation, replaced the traditional meadow management. Apart
from the renewable energy source it offered the new
encouraging new ways of thinking on
way of conservation and improvement of conditions
the part of NGOs and supporting this favourable for species and their biotopes at the locality.
through capacity building initiatives In Slovenia, under the environmental protection sub-
should be considered. Where sector, under one sub-project, a census of 300
innovation is occurring, it is also households that implemented solutions for energy
important that the learning from this saving was carried out. All these households are
publicly accessible for visits of people who would like to
innovation is captured and implement similar solutions in their homes (these
disseminated. This relates the need to households are marked on the web-portal and marked
include support for sub-project with a special sign).
evaluation processes. It also suggests In the Czech Republic, under sub-sector 'Democracy,
that dissemination workshops should human rights and discriminations', a sub-project focused
be supported, to showcased new on strengthening ties between convicted parents and
their children. The sub-project recognised that to work
thinking and to enable the spread of with the children alone would not be sufficient, and so
new thinking and ideas. As was the sub-project was further focused on the parents in
suggested in an evaluation carried out prison, the Prison Service staff and providing alternative
for a British government department family care.
last year:92
92
Evaluation of Innovation Fund, Ministry of Justice, UK, 2009 (Christine Forrester and Sarah del Tufo).
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 83
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
“Good practice funders will seek to maximise learning from their investment. This will
include looking at synergies from the learning, and where relevant, enabling sub-
projects to learn from each other, to build on each other‟s experience, and to link with
other agencies and organisations where the contacts and learning can be valuable for
sub-project progress, wider dissemination and for future activities.
Where the sub-projects funded are innovative, it is essential that there is a significant
learning element, both for the sub-projects individually and also for the fund as a whole.
This learning helps to identify what types of interventions /activities can enable change/
difference, and also to identify what may not have worked well, and why. This learning
approach requires both evaluation and also wider dissemination of sub-project results,
to enable other practitioners to use innovative practices and processes that have been
piloted, to enable possible scalability /replication in different environments, to enable
wider dissemination of the learning.
Using an independent website and blogs in a creative and interactive way both to
promote a funding programme and also to encourage collaboration, information sharing
and exchange is a valuable if time demanding approach. To be useful, it clearly must
not stand alone, but link into other more active networks and be well promoted.
Considering annual showcasing events to exchange experience and promote the pilots
to other government departments and funders is important as part of aiding
sustainability as well as demonstrating how far the grant investment has yielded
benefits, in relation to change and the difference that the investment has made.”
Approaches such as these to learning, dissemination, and showcasing could add
significant value to the NGO Funds, and also enable a changed environment in the NGO
sectors in the beneficiary states, contributing to capacity development and also to the
encouragement of new thinking and innovation.
4.9 EVALUATION - LEARNING AND DISSEMINATING
Chapter 3 has noted that it is currently too early to identify impact in most countries and
that whilst there are some significant results from sub-projects, it has not been possible to
draw conclusions at this stage from these results. Country level evaluation has not been
undertaken by most of the Intermediaries (with the exception of Poland, Latvia, the Czech
Republic and Hungary) and this would be valuable in identifying the key learning from the
sub-projects and to enable wider dissemination of this learning, where appropriate.
It is also valuable for end beneficiaries themselves to engage in reflective and evaluative
processes, and to include in these participatory approaches, particularly where they have
been working with groups of end beneficiaries. Capacity building in evaluation
methodologies would be valuable, as would specific budgets within sub-projects to
undertake evaluations.
There is clearly some important learning that has been gained in each beneficiary state
and it would undermine the investment of these NGO Funds if the detail of this learning is
not appropriately captured. If there are changes in Intermediaries within a new
programme, there is a risk that such learning could be lost. Workshops and networking
activities can be used to disseminate the learning, involving both end beneficiaries and
wider groups of stakeholders. As well as printed reports, the use of the internet should be
considered.
84 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
4.10 CLARIFYING WHAT IS AN NGO FUND
One final issue that has arisen during the evaluation is what constitutes an NGO Fund.
This is a complex issue. In several countries, there is more than one NGO Fund, with the
separate Funds having specific themes. In Hungary, the original Fund that was
established was an Environmental Fund for NGOs where the Intermediary was a
government ministry, which ran into some significant problems, including a failure to
identify many sub-projects for funding, delays in payments and criticisms from NGOs as to
the difficulties of accessing the Fund. As a result of these problems, a separate NGO
Fund was set up in Hungary, which covered the whole range of themes within the overall
programme. Additionally, however, there were other Funds to which NGOs could apply,
some sectoral (such as Environmental Fund for NGOs and a Disability Fund) as well as
this one general NGO Fund – and this caused some confusion. NGOs also had a
possibility to submit applications in response to calls for individual project proposals.
These were open to wide competition, but were not designated as NGO Funds. These
grants can be difficult for NGOs to access, as they are similar to the EU Structural Funds.
Although specific confusions appear only to have been articulated in one country, it could
be helpful to define what a specific NGO Fund is in the context of this programme. This
depends on the distinction, noted at the outset of this Chapter, between wanting to see the
strengthening of civil society per se, through the disbursement of funds which may or may
not have a specific set of themes, or having a set of themes within which civil
society/NGOs can apply for sub-projects. The Hungarian confusion points this up in a
clear way, with a separate NGO Fund being set up, with very different criteria and a much
simpler, but still rigorous application and assessment process, to overcome the difficulties
of access to a Fund with a specific theme, targeted at NGOs, but working within the
parameters of the main EEA and Norway Grants.
The issue is in part as to whether a separate NGO Fund, specifically defined as such,
could more easily gain exemption from certain requirements of the main EEA and Norway
Grants, such as state aid rules, state procurement procedures etc. In some countries this
has been the case. It can also be suggested that where the “NGO Funds” have had
separate “themes”, these could have been streams within one overall NGO Fund. Whilst
in Latvia, the different funding streams have been managed by the same Intermediary, in
Portugal, Slovakia and Poland these different thematic Funds are managed by different
Intermediaries, which could add to the overall costs of administration without necessarily
leading to greater efficiency or effectiveness. Therefore to suggest one single NGO Fund
for each beneficiary state, (with different themes or not, as the case may be), would
therefore suggest cost savings in terms of administration as well as greater clarity. This
would also therefore suggest that consortia of NGOs as Intermediaries, bringing different
expertise (as in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria), would be most appropriate approach to
ensure that knowledge of different sectors and themes can be covered.
4.11 SUCCESS FACTORS
Overall, the question needs to be posed as to what would constitute success factors for
successful investment of the donor funds in the beneficiary states. The FMO staff have
themselves identified their views of the success factors for the NGO Funds. These
included:
 Responsiveness to country need/ needs driven/ must involve stakeholders
 Institutional strengthening and capacity building;
 Strengthening and developing a mature civil society;
 Stronger NGO role in contributing to priority areas;
 Fund delivered with no problems/ good grant making models;
 Fund seen positively;
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 85
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Complementarity to other funding.
From the evaluation, learning from the sub-projects and the dissemination of the learning
can also be added to the list of factors.
These success factors have been confirmed by the evaluation, and we would suggest that
consideration of the issues raised in this chapter would assist in developing a future Fund
that can demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness and success.
4.12 CONCLUSIONS
This section of the report has aimed to demonstrate that there are a wide range of issues
that have been identified by the evaluation that need to be considered in the design of any
future programme. These issues go beyond the effectiveness of the management of the
Funds in each beneficiary state and what the NGO Funds have achieved to date. The
next Chapter will build on this analysis to suggest the shape of a future programme
approach.
86 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
5. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The previous chapter of this report has identified learning from the NGO Funds and issues
that could influence the design of a future Fund. This chapter will develop further some of
these themes, and also suggest a possible future Fund framework and indicators.
5.1 WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE PRIORITIES BE?
In each beneficiary state, stakeholders in the evaluation were asked about future priorities.
A table of the most frequently occurring priorities is given in Annex 9. Whilst there is an
element of the “shopping list” in all countries, there are also some underlying trends.
However, as noted in the preceding sections of this report, there is a clear need for
flexibility to respond to specific country needs, rather than an approach which imposes,
across all of the countries, a uniform list of priorities.
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee suggests that civil society globally shares the same
challenges: human rights, democracy, developing active citizens, environmental concerns
and underlying this, the need to develop a strong civil society. In some beneficiary states,
the relationships between NGOs/civil society and governmental institutions is not one of
partnership. Some governments do not accept the NGO role of challenge and advocacy
for policy change and adherence to human rights principles as one in which NGOs should
be engaged, and the wider role of civil society in promoting and sustaining democracy.
In many countries there is a lack of understanding and unwillingness to see the critical role
of civil society in promoting and sustaining democracy and human rights. Interviews in
some of these countries elicited the view that democracy in the transition countries is still
fragile. Twenty years has not been enough to embed a full understanding of the role of
civil society, nor of what democratic accountabilities entail. Attitude change is still
necessary on the part of many in the political class and in wider society. The threat of
extreme right-wing nationalist groups and parties achieving credibility and electoral gains,
with the risk of increased human rights abuses, is significant, particularly in the light of the
economic crisis facing many of these countries. The role of civil society organisations in
countering extremism of all kinds is critical.
The NHC particularly noted its willingness to support the NGO sector in the beneficiary
states to prepare reports for the UNHCR Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a
unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member
States once every four years, and which has an active role for civil society organisations to
contribute to the preparation of country reports.93 These reports are due from Bulgaria and
Slovenia in 2010, and Lithuania in 2011.
In addition to human rights, other key themes that can be identified are:
 Cross-sectoral partnership working between NGOs and government bodies, to
increase understanding between NGOs and government and to look for common
approaches to solutions for societal problems (social, economic, environmental);
93
The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for
each State to declare what actions it has taken to improve the human rights situation and to fulfil its human rights
obligations. As one of the main features of the Council, the UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country
when their human rights situations are assessed. The ultimate aim of this new mechanism is to improve the human
rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 87
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Increased coalition building and partnership Box 35. Definition of needs - Bulgaria
working between NGOs (including skills Support projects which are out of the scope
and experience transfer from larger, of the state and the activities supported by it.
stronger NGOs to smaller, newer and Support civic activism directed at improving
regional/local NGOs); the life in the country. If the area is broadly
defined, the donor will get ideas which
 Increased focus on advocacy and watch- correspond to the local needs. The areas
dog roles of NGOs, particularly in relation to should be defined more like values and
the transparency and accountability of state impacts rather than expected results – e.g.
institutions; voluntarism, participation, activism,
philanthropy
 Increasing citizen engagement, in relation
End beneficiaries Focus Group, Bulgaria
to both advocacy (citizen engagement in
decision-making) and developing volunteerism.
These themes suggest a focus on changes in processes and on issues which could be
used in relation to a range of sub-sectors, such as environment, social services, and
cultural heritage. The term “process‟, which is used by DFID and other organisations,
means the methodologies and approaches that are used in sub-projects towards the
achievement of the aims or results. The processes are the means by which the activities
are carried out and the results are achieved, and are seen as being as important as the
actual activities themselves. It is from the processes, as well as the activities, that
outcomes – the difference and change - are achieved.
A focus on themes and processes could provide a commonality of approach across all the
beneficiary states, whilst enabling the NGO Funds in each beneficiary state to have
specific criteria which respond to needs and priorities at the country level.
5.2 AREAS WHERE NGOS COULD PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE –
ISSUES AND PROCESSES
If the aim of the NGO Funds is to contribute to the overall strengthening of the role of
NGOs and civil society in the beneficiary states, then it is the ways in which NGOs
address these issues (the „how‟, rather than just the „what‟), regardless of their “sector”
within civil society, that are important. Themes, or issues (processes), such as increasing
civic engagement through the sub-projects, could widen the range of target groups, for
instance. An issue such as working in partnership with local authorities could be
addressed through alternative social services provision, or through work on a local
environmental issue.
Engaging civil society organisations in thinking more about processes, and in adapting
their methodologies to engage with changed processes, can both increase their role in
promoting appropriate democratic responses to societal issues, and demonstrate how new
approaches can bring wider societal benefits – such as increases in social capital, new
initiatives to address social and economic disparities, and raise awareness of
environmental issues. NGOs on their own cannot address the wider issues of reducing
social and economic disparities, which is a key objective of the EEA and Norway Grants;
but they can contribute towards:
 changed thinking, through methodologies and processes, which demonstrate
different ways of engaging citizens in responses to the needs in their communities;
 opening up space for wider discourse on responses to the needs of marginalised
groups and communities;
 demonstrating how services can be provided more effectively, how local economies
can be developed, and issues of climate change addressed.
88 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
There is a particularly vexed issue in relation social services provision – which in many
beneficiary states is seen as priority because of the huge level of need as the state
withdraws, faced with budget crises. Should NGO Funds support existing social services
(an issue particularly in Hungary, for state-initiated NGOs); or should it only support, for
instance, strategic initiatives such as policy research and advocacy (as was implemented
in Romania); or support the piloting of new approaches; or just work in areas that the state
and other funds do not support e.g. self-help groups, community level initiatives etc.? It
can be suggested that in this area of social services, using an issue approach as noted
above, NGO Funds could appropriately be allocated, where, for instance, a sub-project
aimed to increase the advocacy of service users for more responsive services, or increase
the engagement of a disadvantaged or marginalised group in the provision of services to
meet their needs, or where NGOs work with local government to explore whether
contracted out services could be delivered more effectively and efficiently.
It is therefore suggested that rather than the setting of specific programmatic areas, such
as environment, social services etc, a series of key issues or criteria to be addressed
through sub-projects is developed. These could be common across all countries, and
would also allow for flexibility in each beneficiary state to determine the allocation of Funds
to sub-projects in specific areas appropriate to country needs.
Extrapolating from the themes identified above and from the evidence from the evaluation,
these issues/ criteria could be:
 Community and citizen empowerment - including end beneficiary involvement in the
design and delivery of sub-projects and their activities;
 Promotion of human rights;
 Advocacy and watch-dog role of NGOs;
 Cross-sectoral partnerships, particularly with governmental organisations at both local
and national levels;
 Moving towards sustainability (e.g. philanthropy, income generation, social enterprise
etc.);
 Developing networks and coalitions of NGOs/NGOs working in partnership;
 Cross-community initiatives;
 Engaging citizens in civil society activities (volunteering, awareness raising of civil
society, work with the media etc.);
 Demonstration of capacity building with smaller/grassroots organisations.
Additionally, criteria should include innovation, developing new ways of solving old
problems, pilots of strategic importance, replication and dissemination of previously funded
sub-projects (from other funds as well as from the NGO Funds).
Wider dissemination of learning from the sub-projects should also be undertaken, to add
value to the work undertaken by the sub-projects by enabling other NGOs to learn from
and possibly replicate processes and activities.
In different countries, criteria for assessment of applications may also need to include a
regional dimension (in-country regions), to tackle local problems (including engaging
smaller local NGOs, in partnership with larger and perhaps national NGOs) - possibly with
quotas for sub-projects outside capital cities; and weighting for sub-projects involving
priority groups in the design and implementation of sub-projects.
Box 36. „One size does not fit all‟
This approach would obviate the need for specific No limitations to sub-sectors as local
sectoral focuses (see Box 36), and would also needs are different and it is difficult to
enable indicators to be set, which would focus on say which area is more important than
change in relation to the issues identified above, the other
Recommendation from Slovenia
which are fundamental issues both for civil society
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 89
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
development, for the strengthening of democratic processes and to increase opportunities
for social and economic betterment.
This approach would also strengthen sustainability, as it would be the change in
processes and the embedding of this change that would be important, not primarily the
sub-projects and their deliverables in terms of activities. As stakeholders in Slovenia in
particular noted, the problem with activity-focussed sub-projects is that at the end of
funding, there is often the termination of activities and no sustainability.
Therefore, if what is being looked for through the sub-projects is sustainability of outcomes
and impact, it can be suggested that this difference is achieved more through changed
attitudes, and changed processes and approaches to issues, with the specific activities
themselves being the medium through which these changed approaches are explored and
delivered. This is not to suggest that sub-project activities do not bring benefits in
themselves, but that these activities are only part of the story.
5.3 EVIDENCING OUTCOMES, IMPACT AND INDICATORS
It has proved difficult during this evaluation to evidence outcomes and longer-term
sustainable impact from the programme at country level, not least because of the paucity
of indicators against which the results of individual projects could be measured, as well as
the fact that in many countries, sub-projects are still being implemented. Views from some
countries suggest that indicators should only be goals for the overall programme, as
indicators themselves need to be country specific. It is clear that any country-based
indicators should be set against a baseline (see 4.1.2) and an understanding of the
country, as well as against overall strategic goals for the programme.
The question of results-based systems is relevant here. These should be outcome-based,
and not output-based. The latter would not necessarily increase the effectiveness of
projects, nor enable a reflection of the effect and outcomes of many of the types of projects
that could be supported through these Funds - Intermediaries from both Hungary and
Romania noted that most NGO sub-projects are at base very qualitative and about attitude
change through sub-project activities. As noted in Section 4, achieving attitude change is
a key issue not only in these two countries, but across all the beneficiary states.
The indicators set in the PIPs, which are developed by the Intermediaries in their
proposals and commented on by FMO staff, have to date emphasised
outputs/activities/numbers of beneficiaries, legislative proposals submitted, publications
written or new quality standards achieved. Whilst these targets are useful they do not
show how the sub-projects or the Fund overall is achieving wider change. The outcomes -
the difference made, the changes at all levels (individual clients, the NGO itself, the locality
or region and changes in the issue or need itself) - need to be identified for each sub-
project as well as the Fund overall (from a review of
the final reports and also interviewing/visits by Box 37. Exchanging information
Intermediary team or external evaluator). In the next The recommendation is to have a
Fund, serious attention needs to be given to mechanism for exchanging information
among funded NGOs throughout the
outcomes and impact, by the FMO and the countries where the Fund operates.
Intermediaries, rather than just setting activity This would also provoke new ideas
targets with little evidence as to their benefits (or among NGOs as according to the
otherwise). It is clear that some, but not all, Intermediary there were quite few
Intermediaries understand this and are, as a innovative and interesting ideas among
the applications which were received so
consequence, planning evaluations to look at both far.
outcomes and impact. Recommendation from end
beneficiaries‟ Focus Group, Bulgaria
Evaluation by sub-projects by the Intermediaries, as
90 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
well as self evaluation at sub-project level, should be built into budgets. Resultant
evaluations should also feed into lesson-learning exchanges and networking events within
countries and between countries. Evaluation is important as a learning tool, and
experience from other programmes suggests that encouraging projects to build evaluation
(using appropriate and where possible participative models) into their projects from the
outset can both enable outcomes to be measured, and also provide a learning tool which
enables changes in programme activities to be developed on the basis of evaluated
evidence, as noted in Section 4.9. This would require both a framework with appropriate
and agreed indicators and also processes which make evaluation a continuous and
integrated process. This is not to suggest that every sub-project needs to build in external
evaluation, but to use internal evaluation processes. This can be a very useful tool in
capacity building within NGOs.
In relation to the current programme, we recommend developing country evaluation
reports, focusing on outcomes and impact, and that the Intermediaries for each country
organise a closure conference in 2011 looking at results and needs for the future, linked to
the Donor embassies. It needs to involve a wide range of NGOs and be open to all who
would like to participate so as to ensure future fairness in choice of Intermediary. The
Norwegian Technical Assistance Fund where it exists, or the Donor Embassy should help
with costs. This approach should also become standard for any future NGO Funds.
Clearly, evidencing outcomes and impact will be related to the design of a future
programme, and in the next section of this chapter, we look at how a programme approach
could be developed.
5.4 DEVELOPING A PROGRAMME-BASED APPROACH
The Programme-Based Approach is an approach based on the principle of co-ordinated
support for a locally-owned programme of development, a sector programme, a thematic
programme or a programme of a specific organisation. According to the OECD/DAC
guidelines "Harmonizing Donor Practices for Effective Aid Delivery”, a programme-based
approach has the following features:
(a) leadership by the host country;
(b) a single comprehensive programme and budget framework;
(c) a formalised process for donor co-ordination and harmonisation of donor
procedures for reporting, budgeting, financial management and procurement;
(d) Efforts to increase the use of local systems for programme design and
implementation, financial management, monitoring and evaluation.
Most donors use some form of goal-oriented programming, and „Managing For Results‟
is one of the five dimensions of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, under which
partner countries and donors jointly commit to work together in a participatory approach to
strengthen country capacities and demand for results-based management. Improving
management for results was one of the actions agreed at the most recent 3rd High Level
Forum on Aid Effectiveness.94
Results-based management (RBM), used for many years by key bilateral and multilateral
agencies,95 and the Project Cycle Management and Logical Framework adopted by many
94
The High Level Forum held in September 2008 in Accra, Ghana, ended with an „Accra Agenda for Action‟ to accelerate
and deepen the Paris Declaration, with a focus on ownership, inclusive partnerships, and delivering results – see
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/58/16/41202012.pdf.
95
USAID (United States); DFID (United Kingdom); AusAID (Australia); CIDA (Canada); Danida (Denmark); the UN; and
the World Bank - see „Results Based Management in the Development Co-Operation Agencies: A Review of
Experience‟, OECD-DAC, and „Results-Based Programming, Management and Monitoring (RBM) at UNESCO - Guiding
Principles‟, January 2008.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 91
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
European agencies,96 including the European Commission, are participatory and team-
based approaches to programme planning, and focus on achieving defined and
measurable results and impact. These approaches are based on clear definition of
strategic aims/ objectives, the results or change required to achieve the strategic aim/
objective, and indicators to enable the results and achievement of strategic aims/
objectives to be measured. However it is important to be clear that we are talking about
outcomes, the difference the sub-projects and the programme make, not the achievement
of outputs, the numbers of activities, people involved, pamphlets written etc.97
In reviewing the results from this evaluation, it is clear that an overall programme-based
approach for the funding allocated for NGOs, across all of the beneficiary states would be
valuable. Strategic programme frameworks for each beneficiary state could also be
established, in line with the overall framework and linked with country strategies for the
NGO sector (see Section 5.6).
Analysis of literature as part of this evaluation, and responses to the interviews and
questionnaires indicate that only Estonia has in place a joint NGO/ government strategy,98
and no countries to our knowledge are planning to develop one. Strategies for the NGO
sector, linked to overall government strategies and priorities, need to be developed, with,
as noted above, the engagement of the NGO sector with other stakeholders in each
beneficiary state.
Such country strategies could help inform the focus of the EEA and Norway Grants for
NGOs for a future programme. However, the evaluation has demonstrated a range of key
issues which are common to the NGO sectors in all countries and the recommended need
to focus on process (noted in section 5.2 above) which could provide a base for an overall
programme approach, which could be common to all countries, but would allow for local
variance, in line with the objectives and strategies identified for each beneficiary state.
Indicators that relate to these common process areas can be developed, but it should be
borne in mind that there have been several groups working on indicators for several
years,99 and there is not yet general agreement on what works and what works well - in
fact the whole subject is highly contested. There are a number of different approaches,
two of which are included in Annex 10.100
5.4.1 Funding to help end beneficiaries prepare strategies
It is often the case that beneficiary governments do not have strategic plans and action
plans that would be suitable for the programme-based approach, and particularly in the
case of the civil society sector, this is difficult because there is usually no single „non-
government‟ voice. However, in a number of the beneficiary states there are co-ordinating
bodies, or initiatives, developing for the NGO sector (for instance in Poland, Romania,
Latvia, Cyprus, Estonia). An initiative through these Funds, before a programme-based
approach can be implemented, to assist the beneficiary government and the civil society
sector to prepare a single comprehensive programme, action plan and budget framework,
96
See for example, „The Use and Abuse of the Logical Framework Approach - A Review of International Development
NGOs‟ Experiences‟, a report for Sida, November 2005.
97
There are some misunderstandings of Results Based Management, as it can be seen as a system which is financially
focused, requiring the achievement of certain activities before payments are made. It should be noted that any systems
which aim to pay NGOs on results, as a result of this misunderstanding of what RBM is, would seriously impact in an
adverse way on NGOs in all countries.
98
Estonia is the only country covered by the NGO Funds where there is a Compact agreement between the NGO sector,
government and the parliament.
99
UN, John Hopkins Centre for Civil Society Studies, World Bank, Civicus.
100
ARVIN, developed by The Participation and Civic Engagement Group of the World Bank; and „The Global Civil Society
Index‟, originally developed through the Johns Hopkins Centre for Civil Society Studies and now being undertaken by
Civicus.
92 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
could be valuable. It should be recognised, however, that in some countries, where the
relationship between government and NGO sector is less beneficial, the NGO Funds may
need to be specifically used to address the problem areas, as noted above where the
agreement of government may not be achieved.
An alternative approach would be for the overall programme for the Funds to be set, in line
with the outline approach in Section 5.2, but for the country strategies for the future to be
developed through networking meetings etc., which can be undertaken as part of the
implementation of the Funds. In this case, one of the overall objectives of the NGO Funds
would be the development of a strategy for future development and strengthening of civil
society, and the identification of future roles for NGOs in wider national social, economic
and environmental development. The donors and the FMO could play useful roles in
legitimising the contribution of the NGO sector to the strategies.
5.4.2 Should there be an overall programme-based approach for the
NGO Funds?
The distinct characteristics and nature of the need in each of the beneficiary states, as
evidenced in this report, suggests that maintaining a flexible approach to meet needs in
each country is important. Any specific priority areas need to be defined after the selection
of the Intermediary in the respective country, and after consultations with the NGO sector,
so that these correspond best to the dynamic changes in the environment.
This is not, however, to suggest that an overall programme framework cannot be
developed. One of the advantages of an overarching programme framework, as
demonstrated in the preceding section, is to define more clearly what the ultimate goal is
that is expected to be worked towards, as a result of the continuing investment of these
Funds in the NGO sector in each beneficiary state. Without prescribing a Log Frame
approach, it is suggested identifying goals, aims and broad indicators for a future
programme, within which each country can be assisted to develop its own frameworks and
indictors, would be valuable for future cross-country evaluative assessments to examine
the effectiveness of the Funds in each country, and to examine the overall success of the
programme. This approach combines an overall programme framework with the
necessary flexibility that this evaluation has found that each country would prefer, given
the differing needs in each country that can be met by the NGO Funds. The suggested
goal and objectives are discussed further in Section 5.4.5.
5.4.3 Complementarity with other financial resources
Any programme should also take account of other financial resources that may be
available for interventions that aim at the same, or similar, goals and objectives. Where an
international donor is engaged in funding, it is generally important for the beneficiary state
to have a commitment to direct its own resources, and international assistance in a
planned and prioritised way, ensuring that its strategic objectives are tackled. Because no
single donor can be responsible for funding all the required programmes and sub-projects,
it is important that the beneficiary state co-ordinates under one action plan or road map the
different sources of funding, including donors, the EU, and the national budget.
However, there is a proviso where in any particular country, some accepted European
norms may not be adhered to, and the international donor may wish to support activities
which enable compliance with European norms, whilst ensuring that there is no
engagement with activities which could be seen as undermining the government of that
country. In such countries, for instance, funding support for human rights and advocacy
issues may be missing, and thus important issues that relate to EU and Council of Europe
requirements may be marginalised. These may be areas where an international donor
would not wish to accede to any co-ordinated action plan defined by that country
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 93
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
government for the disbursement of financial resources. This is not to suggest that this is
what any future EEA and Norway Grants would do, but it may be considered appropriate to
treat the Funds allocated for the support of NGOs and civil society as ring-fenced from any
main co-ordinating mechanisms, precisely so that issues which might not be prioritised by
a country government can be funded.
As we have seen in most of the countries, other financial resources for NGOs are limited:
 Because of the demanding bureaucratic demands, neither EU Structural Funds nor
EEA and Norway Grants are open to other than larger NGOs;
 EU Structural Funds conditions are set across the EU, and do not take account of
the needs of NGOs, for instance in relation to advance payments and compliance
criteria;
 Few national governments make funds available to NGOs and open up competitive
tenders to them;
 Local authorities are making severe cuts in the current economic situation;
 Few international donors are active in the beneficiary states;
 Indigenous Foundations are very limited, and some like Community Foundations
are being closed;101
 Business philanthropy is also being cut during the economic crisis;
 In some countries tax incentives do not exist or are threatened.
Most independent external funders have already withdrawn from Central and Eastern
Europe and of those few remaining, some, such as the CEE Trust, will be winding down
their activities towards cessation by 2012. Whilst in some countries, there are new
developments, such as the Estonian National NGO Fund, or the Romanian/American
Foundation, the availability of funds that are not wholly determined by national political
priorities is increasingly limited. Whilst previously NGOs were starting to diversify their
funds base, through private sector donations as well as support from governmental
sources, the economic crisis has interrupted this. Whilst there are significant funding
resources in the EU Structural Funds for social enterprise development, which could assist
NGOs towards sustainability, these Funds are difficult to access, particularly for smaller
NGOs.
An interview with the CEE Trust Director in Romania suggested that funds need to develop
the longer-term capacity of NGOs, and not just focus on immediate and short-term
problem solving. Few of the available funds have this focus, nor funds specifically for what
is seen as the other major priority, as far as CEE Trust is concerned, which is the
development of the advocacy/watchdog role of NGOs. This in particular is one area where
funds from local governmental sources are unlikely to be made available. Where available
funds are focused on tackling immediate problems, or infrastructure improvements, the
range of processes referred to in the previous paragraphs of this section are likely to
ignored or marginalised, due to the time constraints for sub-project implementation, and an
emphasis on deliverable activities, rather the processes used to achieve the results. The
implementation of good process also suggests that longer time frames are needed for sub-
projects, to ensure that these processes are embedded and can be sustainable. Many of
the other funding sources available are relatively short term.
This suggests that general funds, focussed on NGOs, with flexibility in the funding
mechanisms and criteria, would be complementary to other sources of funding, as well as
meeting needs and filling gaps that other funding does not, or cannot, meet.
101
e.g. Trechin in Slovakia.
94 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
5.4.4 Proposed focus for NGO Funds
Whilst NGOs can make a contribution towards the lessening of social and economic
disparities (the overall aim of the EEA and Norway NGO Funds), it is suggested that the
potential major impact of NGOs is through raising and promoting processes and
methodologies which increase democracy etc., rather than necessarily through the specific
sub-project activities for which they may be funded. This is in part a reflection of the
absorptive capacity of the NGO sector to be able to deliver larger-scale infrastructure or
developmental sub-projects that are likely to contribute more significantly towards the
meeting of wider and more strategic level objectives. However, this does not preclude
stronger NGOs being applicants for the main EEA and Norway NGO Funds.
To ensure that issues that are fundamental to the development of an effective civil
society are reflected appropriately in the EEA and Norway Grants, it can be
suggested that the MoUs for each beneficiary state ring-fence a separate NGO Fund,
not specified by sectoral areas, but broadly with an overall objective to create a
healthy civil society that can ensure the sustainability of democratic values.
Thus in this approach, there is a ring-fenced Fund, with high-level strategic objectives. In
the instructions for the calls for proposals, selection criteria would not only include
relevance but also significance towards the achievement of strategic objectives.
The following Table 9 identifies key issues for the achievement of stronger civil society that
could be achieved through the programme:
Table 9 Civil Society Issues
Structure:
 Cross-sectoral partnerships, particularly with governmental organisations at both
local and national levels.
 Moving towards sustainability and resource diversification (e.g. philanthropy,
income generation, social enterprise etc.).
 Developing networks and coalitions of NGOs/NGOs working in partnership.
 Institutional strengthening.
 Demonstration of capacity building with smaller/grassroots organisations.
External Environment:
 Legal and enabling environment for NGOs.
 Promotion of good governance (transparency and accountability; anti-corruption
initiatives).
 Advocacy and watch-dog role of NGOs.
 Cross-community initiatives.
Values:
 Promotion of human rights.
 Community and citizen empowerment - including end beneficiary involvement in
the design and delivery of sub-projects and their activities.
 Increased citizen activism and engagement, including volunteering.
 Social and economic inclusion (with particular emphasis on the needs of
marginalised and disadvantaged individuals and communities).
 Sustainable development.
 Respect for democratic principles, including citizen participation in decision-making.
These key issues would therefore provide the basis for the development of criteria for the
overall programme and would also be incorporated into the criteria for specific country
programmes. Specific country programmes may have a focus that would be determined
by the processes outlined in Section 5.2 above.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 95
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
General criteria for applications should be set (with guidance from the FMO) that
encourage applicants to demonstrate how the key issues that relate to the strategic
objectives will be met. Applications can be taken under specific thematic areas, or more
generally requested under any theme identified in the criteria. Applications can then be
clustered under the theme headings, to enable a more strategic overview of the progress
of the overall programme towards meeting its strategic objectives, in relation to
applications received. Assessment and selection of projects for funding can be
undertaken against criteria that can either prioritise specific themes, or seek a balanced
“portfolio” of projects, ensuring that all themes are represented in the final selection of
projects for funding. Review after each round can then lead to re-prioritisation for any
further funding rounds.
Additionally, cross-cutting projects can be encouraged, which cover more than one theme.
Again, this could be reflected in the criteria set for a funding round, with more points
awarded to projects that covered multiple themes.
This approach does removes specific sectors, such as environment, social protection etc.
as specific focus areas for the funds overall, but it is recognised that some sectoral focus
could be included in the criteria in individual countries. However, where possible, a more
open approach whereby projects from any sector can be applied for could be encouraged,
as the key assessment tests would be against the key issues as noted earlier in Table 9.
This approach could therefore more effectively enable evaluation of country programmes
towards the achievement of the overall programme goal, but also identify where there are
weaknesses in the NGO sector against any of these themes, where further interventions
may be required.
This would also suggest that in each country, sub-projects are funded which contain a
number of elements (drawn from a “menu”) that assist towards the meeting of the overall
programme goal. This “menu” can be standard across all countries, as noted above. The
baseline country information, which has been developed as part of this evaluation, can be
used to identify specific country level indicators, within the overall framework, recognising
the different levels of NGO sector development. The cumulative results from the country
level indicators will assist in identifying how far the overall programme is proving effective
in supporting change in key areas, such as governance, democracy and human rights,
citizen participation and activism, social inclusion, environmental awareness etc. The
specific mechanisms by which these changes are achieved (types of projects or particular
thematic areas) are of a lesser order than the higher level “values” which would be
expected to be seen in funded sub-projects. This approach suggests that it is the level of
change that is important (both outcomes and longer-term impact) at both country and
programme levels, rather than the specific type of activities that may be supported in each
beneficiary state. This approach would allow for the specific needs and priorities in each
country to be reflected in the sub-projects for each country. However, basic criteria would
also be set for the overall programme, which would be reflected in the application
guidelines, and assessment procedures for all countries.
5.4.5 Suggested approach to setting goals, aims and indicators
It is clear that the NGO Funds are missing a strong reporting system from Intermediaries to
the FMO which makes it clear what is achieved by the NGO Funds. This is because the
current Funds lack a clear strategic focus.
96 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Building on the donor‟s apparent current thinking about the next programme as focusing
on participation and giving priority to vulnerable groups, we have identified the following
super goal, goal and aims: 102
SUPER GOAL: To enhance and strengthen the role of civil society
GOAL: To strengthen the contribution that civil society makes to governance, democratic
processes, the protection of human rights and environmental sustainability, through
support for projects that involve citizens, increase social cohesion and social capital
development, address economic disparities, and increase environmental awareness.
AIMS: The development of grants that enable innovative, creative and effective NGO
interventions in:
 Institutional strengthening; including partnership working, networking and building
stronger relationships with public institutions and creating an enabling environment for
NGOs;
 Social cohesion development; including provision of effective local services which
are responsive to local needs;
 Promotion of democratic values; including human rights;
 Environmental protection and improvement; including responses to climate change
and food security;
 Policy and strategy development; including advocacy and watch dog activities.
CRITERI A/ ISSUE FOCUS
In line with the issues discussed in Section 5.2 above, projects for any theme, or in any
country, would be expected to demonstrate one or more of the following, as appropriate:
 Community and citizen empowerment - including end beneficiary involvement in
the design and delivery of sub-projects and their activities;
 Promotion of human rights;
 Advocacy and watch-dog role of NGOs, including the promotion of good
governance and more active participation of citizens in decision-making;
 Cross-sectoral partnerships, particularly with governmental organisations at both
local and national levels;
 Moving towards sustainability (e.g. Resource diversification, philanthropy, income
generation, social enterprise etc);
 Developing networks and coalitions of NGOs/NGOs working in partnership;
 Institutional strengthening within NGOs and the sector, including the creation of a
more effective enabling environment for civil society;
 Cross-community initiatives;
 Engaging citizens in civil society activities (citizen activism, volunteering,
awareness raising of CS, work with the media etc);
 Demonstration of capacity building with smaller/grassroots organisations
 Sustainable development (at community level).
This list has been enhanced to reflect both the issues identified during the evaluation and
the discussion on the programme-based approach outlined above. Other criteria that can
be added include innovation, developing new ways of solving old problems, pilots of
strategic importance, replication and dissemination of previously funded sub-projects (and
not just from NGO Funds) where these sub-projects have demonstrated that they can
102
Super goals are sometimes called strategic objectives. Goals relate to the longer term impact that is sought. Aims
relate to the outcomes or difference that is sought.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 97
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
contribute towards the overall goal of the programme. Other specific criteria can be
added, as appropriate to individual countries such quotas for sub-projects outside capital
cities (as done in Latvia and the Czech Republic).
As a result of adopting this approach, an overall programme can be applied to all
countries, with the flexibility to allow theming to identified national priorities, if required, or
to operate a flexible and open fund, which may encourage as wide a range of applications
for sub-projects across all of the sectoral interests of the NGO sector.
5.4.6 INDICATORS
Indicators can then be developed by stakeholders, which reflect the overall themes, and
can be applied to all countries. Specific country level indicators, both within these and for
any local additions to criteria and themes, can also be added. Country baselines can be
used to determine these local indicators, as well as the direction of change expected in
relation to the thematic indicators. Some examples of possible indicators for each theme
are suggested in Table 10.
Table 10 Examples of possible indicators
Themes Indicators
 Number of sub-projects which involve cross-sectoral partnerships with
governmental organisations at both local and national levels.
Cross-sectoral  % NGOs engaged in activities in partnership with local authorities and
partnerships, state institutions.
particularly  % of sub-projects which result in protocols for on-going co-operation
with with state authorities.
governmental  Changes in attitudes on the part of local authorities to NGOs
organisations (increased understanding, willingness to work more closely with them
both locally etc.).
and nationally  Increased involvement of NGOs in decision-making processes with
local and national governments (in line with Council of Europe
guidelines on participation in decision-making of NGOs).
 Number of NGOs with sustainability plans as a result of sub-project
Moving activities.
towards  Number of NGOs able to submit proposals for funding to other funding
STRUCTURE:
sustainability institutions/increase funding from range of local sources (number of
and resource proposals; success rates etc.).
diversification  Number of NGOs developing income generation activities (as allowed
by law), including delivering services on behalf of public institutions.
 % NGOs involved in partnership working and coalitions with other
Developing NGOs.
networks and  Number of sub-projects involving national and local NGOs in coalitions
coalitions of or partnerships.
NGOs/NGOs  Changes in attitudes in NGO sector towards co-operation, the
development and sustainability of platforms etc.
 Number of sub-projects reporting improved management capacity and
Institutional
operational expertise.
strengthening
 Changes in the reported professionalism of NGOs.
 Number of sub-projects which engage smaller/grassroots
organisations.
Demonstration
 Number of sub-projects which engage smaller/grassroots
of capacity
organisations working in partnership with larger NGOs.
building with
 Number of smaller/grass roots organisations demonstrating increased
smaller/grass-
capabilities in relation to sustainability, extension of activities.
roots
organisations  Increased development of smaller/grassroots organisations (number,
spread across country etc.).
98 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Themes Indicators
 Number of workshops for good practice and learning transfer trans-
regional workshops for learning transfer.
 Number of evaluation reports highlighting good practice and learning.
 Number of above activities involving partners from state sector.
Learning and  Evidence of transfer of good practice and learning to the wider NGO
development sector.
transfer  Evidence of changed practices in NGO and government sectors as a
result of learning from the programme.
 % of organisations undertaking self evaluation, collecting outcome
evidence, and becoming more reflective about what they are doing
and achieving.
Legal and
 Changes in regulations and legal provisions for NGOs (definition of
enabling
NGOs; tax regime changes to enable social enterprise; legislation to
environment
promote/enable volunteering etc.).
for NGOs
ENVIRONMENT
 Number of sub-projects increasing transparency and accountability of
EXTERNAL
NGOs.
Promotion of
 Number of sub-projects increasing transparency and accountability of
good
government bodies.
governance
 Increased media attention to the activities of NGOs in relation to good
governance.
 Number of sub-projects identifying human rights as a fundamental
Promotion of
issue which underpins NGO activity.
human rights
 Changes in attitudes on the part of government towards human rights.
Community  % increase in citizen engagement in NGO activities (volunteering,
and citizen involvement in public facing activities such as campaigns etc.).
empowerment  Number of sub-projects demonstrating user/ participant involvement in
Increased the organisation in feedback or planning.
citizen  Evidence of increased citizen engagement with NGOs (increase in
activism and number of members, activities aimed at engaging public in NGO
engagement, activities.
including  Increase in number of citizens engaged on a regular basis in
volunteering volunteering with NGOs or in communities.
 Number of sub-projects where users/ participants from end beneficiary
communities actively engaged in sub-project
design/implementation/evaluation.
 Number of communities reporting increased access to welfare/social
VALUES
services that are responsive to their needs (health, education, social
services).
Social and  % of sub-projects that increase engagement of citizens in rural areas
economic in sub-projects aimed at providing increased access to basic
inclusion services/access to improved services.
 % coverage of NGOs/sub-projects which secure access to citizens
rights/redress.
 % sub-projects which reach “hard to reach” areas e.g. rural
communities.
 % sub-projects which reach hard to reach/marginalised communities
(e.g. Roma, people with disabilities; disadvantaged youth etc.).
 Number of communities with sustainability plans as result of sub-
project activities relating to climate change/peak oil.
Sustainable
 Number of demonstration sub-projects in relation to climate change/
development
peak oil/ food security.
 Evidence of increased citizen awareness of sustainability issues.
 Number of sub-projects involving citizens in activities that increase
Respect for
their engagement in decision-making.
democratic
 Evidence of changed processes in governmental institutions (national
principles
and local) that engage citizens in decision-making.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 99
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Themes Indicators
 Number of NGOs evidencing increased institutional capacity to engage
more effectively with public authorities.
Advocacy and  % NGOs engaged in advocacy activities (with local authorities; with
watch-dog role state institutions; public campaigns, watchdog activities).
of NGOs  % NGO policy/strategy campaigns that can be demonstrated to have
had an influence on public policy/provision of improved services.
 Evidence of changes in laws.
These indicators are only indicative at this stage. They need refining and further
discussion, and to reflect evidence from the baselines, as to what direction and magnitude
of change would be expected to be seen from the aggregation of results from sub-projects
at country level, and therefore from the overall programme. At individual country level,
indicators of this type should also be relevant, augmented by other lower-level indicators,
which should be developed for each country within the overall programme approach. They
need to be supplemented by qualitative evidence about outcomes at sub-project and Fund
levels.
This approach to indicators allows for the recognition of the differences between countries,
whilst enabling a more thorough assessment of the outcomes of future programmes.
5.5 BUILDING THE APPROACH INTO THE NGO FUND PROCESSES
Criteria based on these indicators would therefore be integrated into the application and
assessment processes. It is not suggested that all projects will meet all of these criteria,
but forms will need to ask questions about which of the criteria they are including in their
sub-projects. This will make the application process more complex, but if forms are
designed to guide applicants through the process, and workshops are provided by the
Intermediaries which give full information about these criteria and what is expected in
applications, this will enable applicants to think about the incorporation of these values and
practices in their applications. This should also encourage different thinking on the part of
NGOs about changed practice, which will in itself contribute towards change and in
building capacities in NGOs for this changed practice.
This may well require additional resources to be allocated to Intermediaries, as enhanced
support for applicants and an increased number of workshops may be required in each
beneficiary state. This also suggests that Intermediaries themselves should understand
the importance of these values and issues. Assessment processes would be expected to
include points for projects that can demonstrate that they meet the criteria above. What
can then be looked for, in the country approved sub-projects, will be a portfolio in which the
range of projects supported contribute in aggregate to the achievement of the goals and
aims of the programme as a whole.
If the recommendation is accepted that there should be smaller grants available as well as
larger grants, it can be suggested that for larger grant applications, a two-stage process is
adopted. In the second developmental stage for the larger grant applications, a greater
emphasis can be placed on achieving a wider range of these objectives in the resultant
sub-project. Applicants for small grants would be required to demonstrate how they would
achieve a more limited number of these criteria.
Not only in the selection of projects, but also in monitoring and evaluation, the approach
should keep the overall action plan in mind, and each individual sub-project should be
monitored in relation to the parallel projects, and higher level projects that will all contribute
to the achievement of a significant effect. It is important to use an evaluative approach,
100 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
which will look at the outcomes and difference that is being made by each sub-project,
rather than results-based monitoring, which merely looks quantitatively at activities, rather
than the difference that the activities are making in relation to the required overall aims.
This overall monitoring and evaluation obligation should be built into the MoU.
5.6 OTHER KEY ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE
In addition to the development of an overall programme framework, other key issues were
identified during the evaluation which should be considered for future programmes, and
which link into the suggested strategic programme framework. These include:
1. The need for longer-term sub-project funding, particularly where pilots/innovation are
being developed. Projects which are focussed on changed processes can take longer
to achieve project results, as trust and appropriate methodologies need to be built.
Longer-term funding is also needed for larger-scale projects.
2. A lower maximum size of grants coupled with simplified procedures for smaller grants.
Part of this approach could be to set up a mechanism for funding of small and newly
established NGOs, therefore having two types of support: 1) small grants for newly
established NGOs; 2) bigger grants for more experienced NGOs.
3. The introduction of two-stage application processes, with an outline proposal and
support for full proposal development for outlines passing initial stage assessment.
This would also support the development of innovative ideas, which may need support
for appropriate development for effective implementation, and ensure that the
themes/processes outlined in the strategic framework will be appropriately
incorporated into projects.
4. Support for capacity building to be built into projects, as in Romania, where applicants
can add 30% of sub-project costs specifically for capacity building. Whilst there is an
interest in a specific capacity building component to the Funds in some countries, it is
suggested that the addition of funds for capacity building would sit more appropriately
as part of overall sub-project proposals. This capacity building could also be linked to
the future development of bilateral partnerships, particularly in the transfer of learning
about good practice processes in relation to the themes outlined in the suggested
programme strategic framework.
5. Intermediaries to provide on-going mentoring and support, not just monitoring, and
opportunities for experience sharing between funded sub-projects. Resources should
be allocated to Intermediaries to enable the expansion of these support activities. This
will be particularly important in encouraging learning transfer in connection with the
themes identified in the strategic programme framework.
6. Enable wide access, as appropriate for each country, and use assessment processes
with weighting where specific types of projects are underrepresented e.g. rural
projects, Roma organisations etc. This will not distort the “level playing field” for
applicants if used as part of a transparent process e.g. publication of assessment
criteria, and will link across to the suggestions above in relation to “portfolio”
development within a more strategic approach in the programmes at country levels.
Drawing on the evidence from the evaluation, suggestions have been made for a
programme approach, which would give an overall strategic framework for the NGO Funds
for NGOs/civil society development and support, but also allow for the flexibility needed
and noted by the beneficiary states. The development of an overall strategic framework
would also enable the use of indicators, as developed in this Chapter, which could be
measured and provide some aggregation of results for future evaluations of programme
achievements. Coupled with baselines, this would provide some measure of individual
country progress in achieving and sustaining civil society and NGOs.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 101
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This section provides conclusions on the implementation of the NGO Funds 2004-2009
from the perspective of the five DAC criteria, and looking forward to how future NGO
Funds might operate.
6.1 CONCLUSIONS
There were large differences between the beneficiary states, the needs of the NGO
sectors, the regimes under which the NGO Funds operated (some helpful, some
inhibiting), and the operation of the NGO Funds. There were large differences in the size,
capabilities, and location of end beneficiaries, and the size and thematic areas covered by
the sub-projects (60% of which had not been completed). Each NGO Fund evaluated
was different. Nevertheless it is possible to conclude that the overall performance of the
NGO Funds 2004-2009 has been satisfactory to date, and the immediate objectives of the
Funds are likely to be at least partially or substantially achieved.
In almost all of the beneficiary states, the focus of the NGO Funds on identified needs is
seen as one of its key positive features. In many, but not all countries, the NGO sector
was actively involved in the identification of needs in order to set the priorities of the NGO
Funds. Individual NGO Fund objectives directly or indirectly addressed the EEA and
Norway Financial Mechanism objectives /goals, although they were in some cases over
ambitious.
NGO Funds were practically the only funding available specifically for NGOs in 2007 so
there was little risk of double financing. Most of the stakeholders agreed that this funding
came at the right time and provided support for the most urgent needs of the NGO sector.
Currently there are more sources of funding available in beneficiary states, and issues of
complementarity and avoidance of double financing will become more important.
The efficiency of the set up of NGO Funds varied amongst the countries or even amongst
the different NGO Funds operating in the same country, and was primarily affected by the
legislative and budgetary framework provisions in which the NGO Fund was operating.
Some implementation systems were less efficient, being more bureaucratic and
administratively demanding. This posed a huge burden on NGOs that are usually
understaffed, and lacking experience in preparation of attractive sub-project proposals,
submission of extensive tenders or extensive reporting demands. In some countries,
requirements for submission of supporting documents were excessively demanding, and it
is questionable if all the requirements were justified. In some countries the financial
reporting was very demanding of both NGOs and end beneficiaries, and it is questionable
if all the requirements were justified.
It is not expected that a single form of the implementation could be used in all countries,
because of the different national frameworks, and because EEA and Norway consider
beneficiary states as real partners during the bilateral negotiation process, and respect
their national characteristics and limitations (see Recommendation 3). However, the
lessons learned during the 2004-2009 implementation period point to the need for
additional thinking and rationalisation to establish more user friendly implementation
systems for end beneficiaries. During the evaluation, it became evident that there was a
need for common guidelines or standards applied to all NGO Funds, to be provided by the
FMO, which would improve the clarity and efficiency of the NGO Funds as well as provide
equal conditions for NGOs in all beneficiary states. The general rules and procedures of
the Financial Mechanism were considered as too general in some areas, and not
102 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
sufficiently defining important issues such as conditions for application of State aid rules,
procurement regulations, definitions of eligible applicants, or some areas of the
assessment process. Where such agreements cannot be obtained, the donors should
consider not allocating NGO Funds to the country as there is a risk that the continuation of
some current practices could impact adversely on the reputation of the donors.
(Recommendations 5, 6, 7, and 8).
The efficiency of Intermediaries was largely determined by the legislative, procedural and
budgetary frameworks in which they had to operate. However, another key factor affecting
the efficiency of Intermediaries was a good understanding of the NGO sector (preferably
with past working relationships with NGOs), with a track record of grant making, and a
flexible, supportive and co-operative approach to end beneficiaries, taking into account
their capacity and financial limitations. The more efficient Intermediaries supported the
capacity building of NGOs through training, workshops or even personal consultations with
applicants or end beneficiaries on sub-project management issues. Trust in the
independence of Intermediaries from direct or indirect political pressure was higher with
those that were not seen as an instrument of state funding (Recommendation 4 and 9).
Monitoring of sub-projects appeared to be strongly related to financial reporting. Whilst the
financial reporting requirements in some countries are so extreme that this focus is
inevitable, limiting monitoring to these requirements reduces the evaluative learning for the
end beneficiary and the Intermediary. It also encourages a focus on quantitative outputs
rather than identifying how the sub-projects or the NGO Fund overall is achieving wider
change. The outcomes - the difference made, the changes at all levels (individual clients,
the NGO itself, the locality or region and changes in the issue or need itself) - need to be
identified for each sub-project as well as the NGO Fund overall (Recommendation 10).
The outcomes of bilateral co-operation were not clear yet at this stage. However there are
indications that bilateral partnerships have not worked well in all cases. Some
partnerships were based solely or primarily on the need to meet the criteria for funding, or
to secure additional scores in an assessment process, and are thus unlikely to be
productive and can result in resource wastage. There is some concern that partnerships
are not always real, active and driven by common interests. Bilateral co-operation is also
affected by provision of accessible information about the NGO Funds, such as what is
being funded, and under what conditions. Publicity of such relevant information in English
on the web pages of Intermediaries varied among countries, but was in the majority of
cases weak rather than strong (Recommendations 11 and 12).
The understanding by end beneficiaries of what was supposed to be achieved under
cross-cutting issues was extremely limited, as insufficient attention was given to these
during the preparations of calls for proposals. Clear guidelines on this subject from the
FMO and joint workshops for Intermediaries and Focal Points would ensure a common
understanding (Recommendation 13).
By mid-April 2010, approximately 40% of the 1697 sub-projects financed under the 19
NGO Funds were completed. However, the results are extremely diversified in terms of
significance, thematic content, and geographical area, so that straightforward aggregation
is not possible. Some good and visible results were delivered in the areas of strengthened
capacity of the NGO sector; advocacy and awareness raising activities; good governance
and legislative initiatives; as well as service provision (especially in areas such as social
and health care). NGO Funds were effective in addressing needs of local communities by
supporting local grass-root organisations to address local problems. The positive effect of
regional diversification of sub-projects is seen in the good visibility of the NGO Funds.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 103
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The strategic level objective of the EEA and Norway Grants, to reduce social and
economic disparities, could not be expected to be achieved through the NGO Funds in
each beneficiary state, as NGO sectors by their very nature cannot be prime instigators of
strategies and initiatives that will lead to this reduction. NGOs can be part of the solution
only, and the strengthening of NGO capacities can in the longer term serve to highlight and
contribute towards the solution of societal problems.
Although the very open nature of the NGO Funds is welcomed by end beneficiaries and
positively contributes to the strong profile of EEA and Norway Grants, it has made any
impact very diffuse. It has also created considerable wasted work for large numbers of
unsuccessful applicants, and made the grant selection process difficult. Whilst all
stakeholders in the countries are concerned that the donor should not set a narrow and
rigid set of „all country‟ priorities for the next NGO Funds, which take no account of the
contrasting states of development of the NGO sectors in the countries and the varying
country needs, it is generally accepted that identifying clear impact of NGO Funds will
require defined goals, clear criteria for sub-projects and possible targeting
(Recommendations 2 and 14).
The report provides the main conclusions in relation to the evaluation questions, discusses
the learning from these questions and findings, and builds on the learning to propose a
possible strategic framework for the future, together with indicators against which the
performance of sub-projects, country-level NGO Funds and the EEA and Norway Grants
allocated for NGO support can be measured in the future.
6.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation 1: Lear ning from the evaluation
There is a need to draw from the learning and experience of the current experience of
the NGO Funds, for the future set-up of the NGO Funds.
Appropriate stakeholder consultations at a national level, as well as consultations at a
European level, should be held. These consultations should be informed by the findings
and conclusions of this evaluation, as well as the in-country evaluations.
Recommendation 2 – Future targeting of NGO Funds
Within the donor‟s overall priorities, the country needs and priorities should be agreed
in consultation with the NGO sector, both before drawing up the tender documents for
the appointment of the Intermediary, and after the appointment in developing the detailed
funding programmes, taking into account complementarity with other donors and national
funds.
Building on the need to target funding so that it can have clear impact, and taking into
account our understanding of the Donors‟ current thinking about the next programme as
focusing on participation and democratisation, and giving priority to vulnerable groups, we
recommend consideration of the framework outlined in Sections 5.3 and 5.4 of this
Executive Summary, focussing on strengthening the contribution that civil society makes to
governance, democratic processes, the protection of human rights and environmental
sustainability, through support for projects that involve citizens, increase social cohesion
and social capital development, address economic disparities, and increase environmental
awareness; and introducing themes and issues as criteria that would be common across
all beneficiary states.
It is also recommended that support is in future given to Intermediaries to update the
country baseline information, as this would provide evaluative information against the
104 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
indicators, as well as continuing to provide an ongoing understanding of changes taking
place in the NGO sector in each beneficiary state.
Recommendation 3 –Appropriate impl ementation systems for the NGO
Funds
The wide diversity of beneficiary states and their NGO sectors suggests that a “one size
fits all” approach for any future NGO Fund would not be successful. The FMO should
discuss with beneficiary states the establishment of implementation systems that
would allow flexibility and efficiency. MoU negotiations should aim to achieve less
bureaucratic mechanisms for NGO Funds in all beneficiary states, using the experiences
of those countries where exemption has been achieved from the more exacting
requirements, including procurement rules and state aid regulations. This could enable
wider access to NGO Funds, and encourage sub-projects that would deliver significant
outcomes. Direct communication of Intermediaries with FMO should be made possible.
However, the system should be flexible to take into account the specifics in each
beneficiary state.
Implementation systems should avoid the complex administration of the EU Structural
Funds and main EEA and Norway Grants, and should include:
 provision of advance payments, and easy systems to evidence „in-kind‟
co-financing;
 simplified reporting for small sub-projects;
 clearly defined responsibilities regarding checking of sub-project reports, to
maintain a reasonable level of control.
Recommendation 4 - Types of Intermediari es
Intermediaries should be trusted by, and knowledgeable about, the NGO sector, and
experienced grant makers. The evaluation evidence suggests this role should be with an
organisation independent of the government.
It appears that, with FMO support and the engagement of other key country and donor
stakeholders through local steering committees, all the open Intermediary tender
processes were undertaken in a transparent and professional manner. However, in some
countries, the Intermediary tender process was closed. Tender processes for
Intermediaries need to be open using each country‟s public procurement procedures,
respecting relevant national laws. The selection body needs to be a FMO-appointed
Steering Committee.
Coalitions of NGOs as Intermediaries, as in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, were seen
to be very successful, as they combined wide and different experience and knowledge.
This and a single NGO Fund for each beneficiary state should be strongly encouraged for
future NGO Funds.
Recommendation 5 - Clarifying NGO eligibility
The FMO should consider developing tighter definitions of the eligibility of different
types of organisations for NGO Funds, to avoid both the inclusion of quasi-NGOs, and the
unjustified rejection of appropriate NGOs. This needs to be considered in line with the
recommendations on the framework for a new programme.
Recommendation 6 - Clarity and consistency in rules and procedures
The FMO should produce clear and detailed rules for future funding streams, within a
framework which allows for flexibility for each country NGO Fund, harmonising existing
good practice. The rules need to cover all aspects of programme implementation -
publicity, applications, assessment, contracting, capacity building support, and monitoring
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 105
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
and evaluation, whilst allowing for country flexibility. There needs to be clarity about the
definition of management, administration or core costs, advance payments to
Intermediaries and end beneficiaries, the evidencing of „in-kind‟ co-financing contributions,
and the use of the State aid rules etc.
The annual meetings of Intermediaries organised by the FMO and the Norwegian
Helsinki Committee should be continued, with more opportunities for Intermediaries to
meet and exchange information and identify topics of common interest and good practice.
It would also be useful to create opportunities for National Focal Points to meet and
exchange information.
Recommendation 7 - Application processes
Application, assessment and implementation processes are very important, and good
practice from a number of beneficiary states should to be included in the guidelines
from the FMO for future NGO Funds. Specific recommendations are:
 The number of calls for proposals should be appropriately planned. Countries that
have so far carried out more than one call per year should consider reducing that
number in favour of preserving more time for pro-active development support for
sub-projects. A good practice would be to make pre-announcement of the calls, to
stimulate applicants to prepare themselves more thoroughly for the coming call for
proposals.
 Appropriate application forms that can guide a less experienced applicant through
the requirements of a sub-project proposal, with guidelines for applicants that are
clear and indicate clearly what is required in each section of an application form;
 For small sub-projects, the application forms should be simplified, so that the
process can be carried out in one phase.
 A two-stage application process for larger sub-projects should be introduced if time
allows. In the first stage, the sub-project concept would be evaluated and only
those approved would continue developing full proposals, possibly being offered
further support to develop them. In the second phase, full proposals would be
assessed according to the selection criteria.
 Definitions of “large” and “small” grants need to be negotiated with each country,
taking account of the scale and diversity of the NGO sector.
 Workshops or other kinds of support at the pre-application stage, to provide
detailed guidance on what will be looked for in the proposal for funding.103
 To widen access to NGO Funds, assessment processes should use weighting
where specific types of sub-projects are under-represented e.g. rural sub-projects,
Roma organisations etc. This would not distort the “level playing field” for
applicants if used as part of a transparent process e.g. publication of assessment
criteria.
 Encourage partnership/coalition applications, particularly where the NGO sector is
very competitive, and also encourage applications where “strong” NGOs partner
with “weaker” NGOs (or unregistered organisations), where direct or indirect
capacity building can be achieved through the “stronger” partner.
Recommendation 8 - Assessment/selection pr ocesses
There is scope for the sharing of good practice, and a set of FMO generated minimum
requirements for transparent assessment processes. The FMO should clearly stipulate the
basic requirements for assessors, including expertise in the field supported by the NGO
Fund, experience in assessment, and independence (particularly having no links with the
applicant organisations or their partners). The FMO should define in which situations an
assessor would be deemed to have a conflict of interest, and how this should be tackled.
103
This workshop help is given by most but not all Intermediaries.
106 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Potential conflict of interest should be checked as a standard procedure. Transparent
assessment criteria need to be published with the application details, so that applicants
know and understand the basis on which their proposals will be assessed. There needs to
be flexibility to take into account the specifics in each beneficiary state.
In addition, staff of the Intermediary should not be involved in quality assessment,
especially if a more active role in development of a sub-project is planned.
Grant selection committees should be independently chaired, with the staff of the
Intermediary acting as officers. The National Focal Point, the donor Embassy and the
FMO should only attend as observers.
Recommendation 9 - Support to applicants and end beneficiaries
The experienced Intermediaries provided training and support during the application
process through web sites, workshops and by telephone and e:mail, despite limited
resources (in a number of beneficiary states, extra funding for capacity building of end
beneficiaries by the Intermediaries was not permitted by the Focal Point). There is scope
for sharing of good practice, and the FMO should develop minimum requirements so that
all Intermediaries provide ongoing mentoring and support, and not just monitoring.
Resources should be allocated to Intermediaries to enable the expansion of support
activities.
Recommendation10 - Monitoring processes and evaluation processes
Country evaluation reports should be completed, focusing on outcomes and impact, and
the Intermediaries for each country should organise a closure conference in 2011 looking
at results and needs for the future, linked to the donor embassy. It needs to involve wide
range of NGOs and be open to all who would like to participate so as to ensure future
fairness in choice of Intermediary. The EEA and Norway Grants‟ Technical Assistance
Fund where it exists, or a donor state embassy should help with costs. This approach
should also become standard for any future NGO Funds.
A mechanism should be developed for exchanging information among funded NGOs,
including both general and thematic areas, both through thematic country meetings and via
electronic means throughout the beneficiary states. This would provoke new ideas among
NGOs, answering the need reported by some Intermediaries, to encourage more
innovative thinking about sub-projects.
As well as the target outputs, the outcomes - the difference made, and the changes at all
levels, need to be identified for each sub-project as well as the NGO Fund overall.
Evaluation of sub-projects should be built into budgets, and in the next NGO Funds,
serious attention should be given to outcomes and impact by the FMO and the
Intermediaries.
Recommendation 11 – Bilateral part nerships
Support to developing bilateral partnerships should be strengthened. In particular,
the following is recommended:
 More evaluation of needs and gaps in learning and skills in NGOs in the beneficiary
states, encourage applicants to seek bilateral partners that would help action the
new approach to NGO Funds
 Promotion of the bilateral partnerships in donor states, emphasising the benefits to
NGOS in the EEA EFTA States in engaging in bilateral partnerships, ensuring
information in English is on donor country NGO websites;
 Attention to supporting inclusion of partners from EEA EFTA States to ensure real
partnerships - partnerships should be driven by common interests, and not by
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 107
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
attempts to achieve high assessment scores – therefore extra scores for the
inclusion of bilateral partners should not be used;
 A longer time frame for partnership development;
 Seed money is needed to support the development of partnerships including funds
to allow workshops to bring carefully selected NGOs together to build relationships
that are real; allocation of funding to Intermediaries to organise end-beneficiary-
based country seminars, focus groups or workshops, with the participation of
relevant NGOs in the EEA;
 Identification of legal barriers to partnerships and exploration of how to overcome
these during the country/Donor negotiations;
 Standardised application procedures to be developed by the Norwegian Helsinki
Committee in collaboration with FMO ensuring that both partners are fully engaged
in the application development
 Sharing good practice on partnership development at the annual meetings of the
Intermediaries;
 The possibility of the extension of bilateral working to other countries in the EU, and
in particular to other beneficiary states.
Recommendation 12 – Visibility of the NGO Funds and sharing
information
There is scope for the sharing of good practice around information about the NGO
Funds, and the FMO should develop minimum requirements for communication about the
work of each Fund.
With regard to visibility and publicity about the NGO Funds on Intermediary web sites, the
FMO should:
 Provide the basic outline of the web page;
 Provide a list of information that must be published on the web site;
 Provide a list of documentation that should be available in the English language,
such as: rules of the NGO Fund (including basic information on themes of support),
application forms, evaluation criteria, texts of the call for proposals, lists of sub-
projects that received funding, and a short presentation of the sub-projects that
received funding;
 Provide a deadline for completion of tasks (e.g. timing of publication of information).
Provision of the most important information about the call for proposals is important to
promote bilateral/international cooperation.
Recommendation 13 – Cross-cutting issues in future NGO Funds
Focus on cross-cutting issues should be increased during both programming of an
NGO Fund and the application process. The relevance of cross-cutting issues, and
targeted results or impacts should be discussed with all Focal Points and Intermediaries at
joint meetings, workshops or seminars. Special attention should be given to underline the
rationale of cross-cutting issues in NGO Funds that include overlapping themes, such as
environment, with the FMO identifying clear expectations.
More focus should be given to increase awareness and understanding on cross-cutting
issues among potential applicants at workshops. Understanding would be improved if
practical examples of good planning and delivery of results could be demonstrated in
workshops and NGO Fund guidelines.
108 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Recommendation 14 - Grant size and length of sub -projects in future
NGO Funds
There was a need identified in all beneficiary states for:
 Longer-term sub-project funding, particularly where pilots/innovation are being
developed. Longer-term funding is also needed for larger-scale sub-projects, and
bilateral partnerships.
 A lower maximum size of grants coupled with simplified procedures for
smaller grants for small and newly established NGOs.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 109
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
List of Abbreviations
Abbreviation Description
BCSS Civil Society Sociological Survey 2004 (BCSS Survey 2004) from Civicus
Report for Bulgaria, 2005
CAL Civic Alliance Latvia
CB Capacity Building
CEE Central and Eastern Europe
CIG Comissão para a Cidadania e Igualdade de Género (Commission for
Citizenship and Gender Equality) Portugal
CoE Council of Europe
CS Civil Society
CSDF Civil Society Development Foundation
CSI Civil Society Index ( Civicus)
CSO Civil Society Organisation
CZ Czech Republic
Donors The donors of the EEA Grants and Norway Grants: Norway, Iceland and
Liechtenstein
DAR Detailed Appraisal Report
DFID Department for International Development UK
DG Directorate General (European Commission)
DNGO Development Non-Governmental organisation
EC European Commission
EEA European Economic Area
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone (Estonia)
EFTA European Free Trade Association
ENGO Environmental Non-Governmental organisation
ENV Environmental
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
EQ Evaluation Question
EU European Union
FAQ Frequently Asked Question
FG Focus Group
FM Financial Mechanism
FMO Financial Mechanism Office
FP Focal Point
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GGAPPI Guide on Grants and Public Procurement under Pre-Accession Instruments
GONGOs Government Operated Non-Governmental Organisations
GRI Global reporting initiative
IBA Important Bird Areas
IFDR Instituto Financeiro para o Desenvolvimento Regional (Portuguese Paying
Authority within the Ministry of Economy)
INTERREG EU programmes which support cross-border co-operation between adjacent
regions to develop cross-border social and economic centres through common
development strategies
IPAD Portuguese Institute for Development Assistance
IR Inception Report
ISO Intermediary Support Organisation
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
NENO Network of Estonian Non-profit Organisation
110 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
NDA National Development Agency (Hungary)
NFCS National Fund for Civil Society (Estonia)
NFP National Focal Point
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NHC Norwegian Helsinki Committee
NMFA Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NPO Non-profit organisation
NROS Civic Society Development Foundation (the Czech Republic)
OECD-DAC Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development
OFOP Federation of Polish Non-Governmental Organisations
PA Paying Authority
PBA Programme-based approach
PIR Project Interim Report
PHARE Pre-accession instruments financed by the EU to assist the applicant countries
of Central and Eastern Europe in their preparations for joining the EU
PR Public Relations
PRAG Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions
PYI Portuguese Youth Institute
RBM Results-based management
RNNO Government Board for Non-profit organisations (Czech Republic)
SGS Small Grant Schemes
SF Structural Funds
SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
SOAR Institute of Research and Cyprus Studies (Cyprus)
TA Technical Assistance
ToR Terms of Reference
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UPR Universal Periodic Review
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WD Work Day
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 111
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
List of Tables
Table 1 Collection of country information ......................................................................... 3
Table 2 Overview NGO Funds and sub-projects by beneficiary state .............................. 9
Table 3 Number of sub-projects by thematic area and by beneficiary state ................... 11
Table 4 Overview NGO Funds and sub-projects by beneficiary state in Feb 2010 ......... 22
Table 5 Sub-projects completed, by country .................................................................. 38
Table 6 Self evaluation summary of sub-projects, of their perceived achievement of NGO
Fund objectives................................................................................................. 39
Table 7 Examples of sub-project results reported in questionnaires .............................. 42
Table 8 Number of bilateral sub-projects by beneficiary state ........................................ 46
Table 9 Civil Society Issues ........................................................................................... 95
Table 10 Examples of possible indicators ........................................................................ 98
Table 11 List of NGO Funds as of July 2010. ................................................................ 122
Table 12 Overview of sectors/themes/priorities covered by NGO Funds ....................... 124
Table 13 Alignment of objectives and donor priorities .................................................... 126
Table 14 Evaluation questions and evaluation criteria ................................................... 191
List of Figures
Figure 1 Alignment of Fund priorities with sector needs .................................................. 13
Figure 2 Alignment of Fund priorities with sector needs .................................................. 14
Figure 3 The average size of grants ............................................................................... 18
Figure 4 Ease of completing the application forms .......................................................... 19
Figure 5 Ease of information access about NGO Funds ................................................. 20
Figure 6 Assessment of support during the application process...................................... 21
Figure 7 Expectation of time to process applications ...................................................... 28
Figure 8 Transparency of assessment process............................................................... 29
Figure 9 Ease of accounting process .............................................................................. 32
Figure 10 Ease of monitoring ...................................................................................... 33
Figure 11 Respondents view of capacity building ........................................................ 40
Figure 12 Identification of additional funding ............................................................... 42
Figure 13 Response on impact of NGO Funds............................................................ 49
Figure 14 Direct payment from Intermediary no Paying Authority.............................. 183
Figure 15 Direct payment from Intermediary - source Paying Authority ..................... 184
Figure 16 Payment by Paying Authority .................................................................... 185
112 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annexes
List of Abbreviations .....................................................................................................110
List of Tables..................................................................................................................112
List of Figures ................................................................................................................112
Annexes..........................................................................................................................113
Annex 1. Terms of Reference .......................................................................................114
Annex 2. Details of NGO Funds ...................................................................................122
Annex 3. Country Summaries ......................................................................................127
Annex 4. Analysis of grant size ...................................................................................174
Annex 5. Eligibility criteria ...........................................................................................175
Annex 6. Scoring of selection criteria .........................................................................179
Annex 7. Payment systems ..........................................................................................183
Annex 8. Reporting and payment arrangements ........................................................186
Annex 9. Analysis of future needs...............................................................................188
Annex 10. Indicators .....................................................................................................190
Annex 11. Questionnaire ..............................................................................................191
Annex 12. List of documents .......................................................................................198
Annex 13. List of Interviews .........................................................................................199
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 113
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 1. Terms of Reference
[These terms of reference were approved on 10 February 2010, and circumstances may have altered
since that time]
1. Background and Overview
1.1 Background
For the beneficiary countries of the EEA Grants and the Norway Grants, the funding of the
non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector has been crucial, as the previous support
from the European Commission (EC) and bilateral donors largely dried up at the time of
their accession to the EU. In the period 2004-2009, the EEA and Norway Grants have
provided major support to the NGO sector. At the end of this round of funding, it is logical
that the donor states – Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – and the Financial Mechanism
Office (FMO) wish to evaluate how well the 2004-2009 NGO Funds performed and whether
there are lessons that can be learned that will assist in the future. The FMO has therefore
commissioned an evaluation of NGO Funds under the EEA Grants and Norway Grants
2004-2009.
1.2 Civil society in beneficiary states
The civil society sector, its history and development have been different in each of the
twelve beneficiary states. However, it can be noted that the candidate countries in Central
and Eastern Europe received significant funding in the pre-accession period from the EC
and bilateral donors for the development of civil society. Efforts were made to create
legislation that supported civil society, to strengthen capacity of NGOs, and to create
networks, so that an overall strategy for civil society could be developed. Much progress
was made, and in some countries there are strong national NGOs which maintain national
briefs on specific issues, such as environmental protection or child protection, and have
good lobby structures, influencing the implementation of legislation. In other countries civil
society has remained weak and adversely influenced by vested interests, or been
weakened by continuous changes in legislation. However, in all the new accession
countries, the withdrawal of the EC and bilateral donors has proved a real block on NGO
development and sustainability, especially since developing in-country sources of funding
has been really challenging. Many smaller NGOs have collapsed and some of the large
national organisations have been focussed on their own survival rather than raising funds to
build internal capacity and advocacy and campaigning skills in other, especially regional,
organisations. There are often strongly competitive climates that inhibit partnership and
coalition building. In general it has been difficult to develop national strategies based on
clearly identified needs. This makes it difficult to target donor funds at priority areas.
1.3 Overview of NGO Funds
The EEA and Norway Grants, established to support social and economic cohesion in the
twelve new Member States of the EU, as well as three southern European countries, have
focused from the outset on supporting civil society development in the region, with non-
governmental organisations eligible to apply for both large and small scale funding.
Nineteen NGO Funds have been established in twelve beneficiary states (Bulgaria, Cyprus,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, and Slovenia). An approximate breakdown of the funds and number of sub-
projects by beneficiary country is given in Table 1, based on information provided by the
FMO as of 21 January 2010, (there are still some calls for proposals open, and additional
sub-projects are likely to be contracted).
114 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 1. Overview NGO Funds and sub-projects by beneficiary state to date
Number
of calls EEA and
Number
for Norway
Country NGO Fund of sub-
selected grant
projects
sub- (M€)
projects
Poland NGO Fund – Equal opportunities and
3
social integration
NGO Fund – Democracy and civil society 5 557 37.3
NGO Fund – Environmental protection and
3
sustainable development
Czech Republic NGO Fund 3 181 9.5
Hungary NGO Fund 2
236 6.5
Environmental NGO Fund 1
Latvia NGO Fund 4
165 5.2
NGO Fund - Society integration Fund 1
Lithuania NGO Fund 1 106 5.0
Slovakia NGO Fund – social inclusion 2
NGO Fund – human rights 2 87 4.8
NGO Fund – sustainable development 3
Portugal NGO Fund – Citizenship and human rights 1
30 2.2
National Environmental NGO Fund 1
Estonia NGO Fund 5 155 2.0
Bulgaria NGO Fund 2 61 1.9
Romania NGO Fund 1 46 1.8
Slovenia NGO Fund 2 40 1.7
Cyprus NGO Fund 1 33 1.5
Total 43 1697 79.4
Source: FMO database, 9 February 2010
The NGO Funds support activities mainly in the areas of environment, democracy, human
rights, social inclusion and anti-discrimination, and promote advocacy, awareness raising
and service provision by NGOs as well as capacity-building of the sector itself. An
indication of the priorities addressed by the funds in each country is given in 0
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 115
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 2. Thematic areas covered by NGO Funds, number of sub-projects by country
No. of sub-projects
Sub-sectors
Total BG CY CZ EE HU LT LV PL PT RO SI SK
Protection of the
518 15 66 36 110 62 40 117 16 15 12 29
environment
Biodiversity 9 9
Education 20 13 2 5
Protection of
223 66 36 24 51 15 12 19
environment
Renewable energy,
energy efficiency and
5 5
reduction of
greenhouse gases
Sustainable
261 15 73 62 40 66 5
development
Human resources
959 22 61 119 84 44 125 408 14 18 11 53
development
Capacity building 217 51 166
Democracy, human
466 22 61 71 45 44 32 139 14 4 34
rights, discrimination
Human resource
11 11
development
Inclusion of
disadvantaged 161 39 89 14 19
groups
Mainstream gender
14 14
equality
Regional policy 90 48 42
Health and childcare 144 24 33 21 7 5
Childcare 8 8
Health and childcare 12 7 5
Health promotion 7 7
Prevention and fight
1 1
against addictions
Social / family issues 116 24 17 54 21
European cultural
76 42 11 13 10
heritage
European cultural
76 42 11 13 10
heritage
Total 1697 61 33 181 155 236 106 165 557 30 46 40 87
Source: FMO database, 9 February 2010
2. Purpose
The purpose is to provide an expert independent evaluation of the contribution of the EEA
and Norway Grants 2004-2009 to the NGO sector in the beneficiary states operating NGO
Funds. The evaluation shall identify lessons learnt at strategic and operational level from
the current funding. It shall also provide national, transnational and overall
recommendations on the sector‟s future needs and suggest priorities for the NGO support
within the future EEA and Norway Grants 2009-2014.
3. Scope of Work
3.1 Development of the Key Questions
A number of evaluation questions were proposed by the FMO in their invitation to tender.
The contractor added a number of subsidiary evaluation questions and evaluation criteria,
116 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
which were discussed at the kick-off meeting on 23 January 2010, and will be further
developed in the Inception Report. The key evaluation issues are divided into six separate
areas, following the logic of DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, efficiency, effectiveness,
impact, sustainability and visibility.
7. Relevance: To what extent and how have the NGO Funds responded to the EEA
and Norway Grants overall objectives of reducing economic and social disparities?
To what extent and how have they contributed to responding to strategic priorities
and needs as well as to the development of the NGO sector at national level? How
would a programme-based approach look for the civil society sector, and what sort
of indicators should be used to make sure that funds can make a valuable impact?
8. Efficiency: How efficient was the management set up and how could it be improved
to increase efficiency of the grant system?
9. Effectiveness: To what extent have the NGO Funds‟ overall objectives been met at
Fund and sub-project level? To what extent have cross-cutting priorities of gender,
bilateral relations and sustainable development been addressed?
10. Impact: What has been the planned and unplanned impact, including on the
institutional capacity of the sector, and on the targeted areas/groups at sub-project
level?
11. Sustainability: To what extent has ownership by stakeholders and the
institutionalisation of supported activities been sustained after funding has ceased?
12. Visibility: What is the visibility of the contributions at different levels?
Following discussion with the Reference Group, these key evaluation questions will be
confirmed and further developed in the Inception Report.
The analysis shall include background information at national level on the sector and
provide some examples of good practice within the EEA and Norway Grants NGO Funds.
Key evaluation questions will be focussed at different levels:
- overall Financial Mechanism level and transnational level
- national/country and NGO Fund level
- sub-project level
Outcomes and results will be analysed from a horizontal perspective of sectors/subsectors
(see Table 2) as well as types of activities and target groups (NGOs and end beneficiaries).
The analysis will focus on strategic issues as well as on operational issues (such as
implementation set-up). Positive and negative lessons learnt will be identified from the
present 2004-2009 period and recommendations for improvements provided for the future
Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. On the basis of individual in-country needs‟ assessment
for the civil society sector and identification of critical areas where civil society plays, or
could play, an important role in the beneficiary states, areas of importance for further
financing will be identified.
3.2 Coverage
All actual beneficiary countries will be covered by the evaluation, but more interviews/focus
groups will be undertaken in the countries with the largest take up of NGO Funds and where
there is the largest potential for learning (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia,
Latvia, Romania, Estonia,).
4. Methodology
4.1.1 Data collection and analysis
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 117
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Documentary sources
The limited time available means that the maximum use will be made of existing
documentary sources, which include national strategic documents, and other key research
and sector reports, and Fund documentation.
The Core Team will develop a template for reviewing the key documents to identify current
situation and future needs, so that evaluation is consistent between evaluators, and work on
documents can be done by in-country staff in local languages.
Central Interviews
Interviews (face-to-face or telephone) will be made with key stakeholders, including FMO
staff, representatives of the EEA EFTA States‟ Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and the
Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
Questionnaires, focus groups and interviews in country
Within the resources and time scale of this evaluation, it is not possible to evaluate all sub-
projects or to interview all end beneficiaries. The approach is therefore to base the
collection of data from the end beneficiaries on a questionnaire, supplemented by telephone
interviews and, where applicable and practicable, focus groups.
The Core Team will develop a self-assessment form in English to be sent to local experts
who will translate it to local languages and send it to end beneficiaries. Our experience
indicates that most end beneficiaries will not take the trouble to reply, but if encouraged by
telephone contact from local experts, we expect that we will be able to achieve a 15-20%
response rate, which we judge to be an indicative sample.
Focus groups could form a powerful tool in the collection of the required information,
especially about future needs. The Core Team will assess for each country whether the
required information can be collected most effectively by direct interviews with five NGOs or
with focus groups with 10-15 NGOs. Focus groups are more efficient than individual
interviews for obtaining a consensus view from a group about a small number of broad
questions, while the individual interview is better for exploration or investigating specific
details.
We propose to use two types of focus group, where appropriate, and for these the Core
Team will develop topic guides:
 End beneficiaries: Select 10-15 NGO recipients and run a half day focus group
looking at the fund mechanisms and the outcomes of the grants; end
beneficiaries would be encouraged to bring outcome evidence. In large
countries, such as Poland, it may be possible to organise focus groups in
different geographical areas.
 Key informants: select 10-15 key informants on the current situation and needs,
and issues for the future. Participants would include the Intermediaries, key
NGOs, government informants from different sectors and the Focal Point,
embassy staff from EEA/EFTA countries and other donors.
Success of focus groups depends on having the right participants, and these will be
selected by the Core Team in combination with local experts, based on its own experience
and on advice from the Intermediaries and where available, embassy staff from the EEA.
In addition to the above collection of data by Pitija‟s local experts in all countries (interviews
and/or focus groups), it is proposed that the Core Team carry out visits to an indicative
sample of countries to undertake:
 Semi-structured interviews with Intermediaries based on pre-prepared
questionnaires
118 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 contacts with other donors and other key informants
 examination of evidence and discussion with in-country team.
Selection of countries for higher level interviews will be made by the Core Team, in
consultation with the FMO and key stakeholders, including the Reference Group. It is
expected that the selected countries would include the largest Fund recipients, Poland, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Romania.
A tentative plan for focus groups, questionnaires and interviews is given in Table 3.
Table 3. Tentative plan for focus groups, questionnaires and interviews
Country Focus Groups Questionnaires Interviews Visits
Two for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 15 across Two Intermediaries
beneficiaries- and seek all grant categories >
Poland east and west 10%sample response € 10,000
One for Key in total (59)
informants
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 10 across One Intermediary
Czech beneficiaries and seek 10%sample all grant categories > body
Republic One for key response in total (19) € 10,000
informants
two for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 10 Two Intermediaries
beneficiaries and seek interviews across all grant
Hungary One for Key 10%sample response categories > € 10,000
informants in total (24)
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 10 yes- 3
beneficiaries and seek interviews across all grant Intermediaries
Slovakia
One for key 10%sample response categories > € 10,000
informants in total (10)
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 10
beneficiaries and seek 10%sample interviews across all grant
Lithuania response in total categories > € 10,000
One for key (10)
informants
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 8 Yes- Intermediary
beneficiaries and seek 15%sample interviews across all grant body
Latvia
One for key response in total (25) categories > € 10,000
informants +Intermediary
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 5 Yes- Intermediary
beneficiaries and seek interviews across all grant body
Romania
One for key 15%sample response categories > € 10,000
informants in total (9) + 1 Intermediary body
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 3-5 Yes- Intermediary
beneficiaries and seek (telephone) interviews across body
One for key 15%sample response all grant categories
Estonia
informants in total > € 10,000 plus one
Intermediary body
(19)
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 3-5
beneficiaries and seek (telephone) interviews across
Portugal One for key 20%sample response all grant categories
informants in total > € 10,000 + Intermediaries
(6)
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 6-8
beneficiaries and seek (telephone) interviews across
Bulgaria One for key 20%sample response all grant categories
informants in total > € 10,000 + Intermediary
(12) body
One for end Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 3-5
beneficiaries and seek (telephone) across all grant
Slovenia One for key 20%sample response categories > € 10,000 +
informants in total Intermediary body
(8)
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 119
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Send to all sub-projects Random sample of 3-5
and seek (telephone) across all grant
Cyprus 20%sample response categories > € 10,000 +
in total Intermediary body
(6)
4.2 Data Analysis
The Core Team will analyse the collected data, and use the evaluation indicators and
evaluation criteria to answer the evaluation questions, draw conclusions, identify lessons
learned and make recommendations.
4.3 Reference Group
While the key stakeholders, including the Focal Points and Intermediaries, will be fully
informed and consulted throughout this evaluation, there will be a formal Reference Group,
consisting of representatives of the FMO and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
which will advise the contractor on the execution of the evaluation, and will formally approve
the ToR and other outputs.
4.4 Reporting
An Inception Report will be prepared following the kick-off meeting, discussion with the
Reference Group, and the finalisation of the ToR. A proposal for the structure of the draft
evaluation report will be discussed at the first meeting of the Reference Group and will be
finalised in the Inception Report. A draft of the evaluation report will first be prepared for
discussion with the FMO, the Reference Group, and if required circulation to Intermediaries
for comment. All comments will be taken into account in a final version of the report. The
proposed structures for the Evaluation Inception Report, is given below.
Structure of the Inception Report
1 Introduction
2 Actions taken in the inception period
2.1 Kick-off arrangements
2.2 Mobilisation of staff
2.3 Preliminary data collection
2.4 Comment from the Reference Group
3 Discussion of risks, constraints, methodologies
4 Evaluation Plan
4.1 Key questions and criteria
4.2 Discussion of indicators (also for programme-based funding)
4.3 Sources of evidence and data collection
4.4 Fieldwork plan
5 Proposed Structure of Evaluation Report
6 Conclusions
7 Evaluation tools (Questionnaires, outline topic guides for interviews)
4.5 Project Milestones
The planned milestones are set out in Table 4 below.
Table 4. Project Milestones
Project milestones Indicative target dates
1. Submission of first draft ToR (Start ) 18 January 2010
2. Kick-off meeting 22 January 2010
3. Submission of Inception Report to FMO 19 February 2010
4. Submission of draft Report to FMO 23 April 2010
5. Submission of draft final report 14 May 2010
120 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
6. Submission of final report 4 June 2010
4.6 Confidentiality
All information collected, whether from documents, questionnaires, or interviews will be kept
strictly confidential. Sources of comment will not be disclosed, and questionnaires will not
be attributed and will remain confidential to the team.
4.7 Quality
The Team Leader will oversee each step in the sequence of tasks, particularly the
preparation of the evaluation plan, the inception report, and the draft and final interim and
final reports. As a pre-cursor, the Deputy Team Leader will first check quality of written
outputs from the local experts. The Quality Control Manager will carry out an independent
review of each of the steps.
As part of its quality control function, Pitija will take all necessary measures to prevent or
end any situation that could compromise the impartial and objective evaluation. Pitija will
ensure that its staff, including its management, is not placed in a situation which could give
rise to any perceived conflict of interest. In many cases we will be relying on staff from end
beneficiaries or Intermediaries to provide essential information, but Pitija will always use
independent staff where evaluation of end beneficiaries or Intermediaries is concerned.
Any potential conflict of interest that might arise during performance of an assignment will
be notified in writing to the FMO. Pitija will ensure that all the data collected by the
independent local or international experts is available for inspection by the FMO.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 121
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 2. Details of NGO Funds
This Annex contains a list of the NGO Funds with financial data for July 2010, and details of Intermediaries (Table 11), an overview of the
sectors, themes and priorities covered by the NGO Funds (Table 12), and a table illustrating the alignment of objectives and donor priorities
(Table 13).
Table 11 List of NGO Funds as of July 2010.
Grant
Number of
Case Total Fund committed to Intermediary web-
BS Title Grant Rate supported Intermediary Name
Number cost fund (EEA + page
projects
Norway)
Bulgaria € 2,064,000 € 2,064,000 61
Foundation for Local
BG0010 National - NGO Fund € 2,064,000 € 2,064,000 100.00% www.flgr.bg
Government Reform
Cyprus € 1,667,000 € 1,499,967 33
National - NGO Fund -
First Elements www.eeangofund.or
CY0017 Health and Childcare and € 1,667,000 € 1,499,967 89.98%
Euroconsultants Ltd g.cy/
Empowerment of Youth
Czech Republic € 10,000,000 € 10,000,000 181
Civil Society Development www.blokovygrant.c
CZ0004 Czech NGO Fund € 10,000,000 € 10,000,000 100.00%
Foundation (NROS) z
Estonia € 2,472,637 € 2,260,485 190
EE0014 National - NGO Fund € 2,472,637 € 2,260,485 91.42% Open Estonia Foundation www.oef.org.ee
Hungary € 8,077,433 € 7,900,963 299
Ministry of Environment
National - Environmental and Water
HU0010 € 1,176,470 € 1,000,000 85.00% www.kvvm.hu
NGO Fund (Környezetvédelmi és
Vízügyi Minisztérium)
Hungarian Environmental
HU0068 National - NGO Fund € 6,900,963 € 6,900,963 100.00% Partnership Foundation - www.okotars.hu
Ökotárs Alapítvány
Lithuania € 5,555,400 € 4,999,860 105
Ministry of Finance of the
LT0008 National - NGO Fund € 5,555,400 € 4,999,860 90.00% www.eeagrants.lt
Republic of Lithuania
Latvia € 6,663,850 € 5,677,251 165
Society Integration
LV0008 National - NGO Fund € 5,899,144 € 5,027,251 85.22% www.lsif.lv
Foundation
LV0061 National - Society € 764,706 € 650,000 85.00% Society Integration www.lsif.lv
122 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
integration Fund Foundation
Poland € 41,499,999 € 37,350,000 613
NGO Fund - Democracy Co-operation Fund
PL0168 € 13,833,333 € 12,450,000 90.00% www.cofund.org.pl
and Civil Society Foundation
NGO Fund -
Environmental Protection ECORYS Polska Sp. z o.
PL0169 € 13,833,333 € 12,450,000 90.00% www.ecorys.pl
and Sustainable o.
development
NGO Fund - Equal
ECORYS Polska Sp. z o.
PL0170 Opportunities and Social € 13,833,333 € 12,450,000 90.00% www.ecorys.pl
o.
Inclusion
Portugal € 2,398,742 € 2,038,930 30
Comissão para a
Cidadania e Igualdade de
NGO Fund - citizenship
PT0032 € 1,199,371 € 1,019,465 85.00% Género / Commission for www.cidm.pt
and human rights
Citizenship and Gender
Equality
National Environmental Agência Portuguesa do
PT0033 € 1,199,371 € 1,019,465 85.00% www.apambiente.pt
NGO Fund Ambiente
Romania € 5,098,189 € 5,098,189 115
Civil Society Development
RO0010 National - NGO Fund € 5,098,189 € 5,098,189 100.00% www.fdsc.ro
Foundation (CSDF)
Slovenia € 1,885,353 € 1,458,050 40
The Regional
Environmental Center for
SI0024 National - NGO Fund € 1,885,353 € 1,458,050 85.00% Central and Eastern www.rec-lj.si
Europe, Country Office
Slovenia
Slovakia € 5,882,353 € 5,000,000 87
Nadácia otvorenej
SK0008 NGO Fund - human rights € 1,764,706 € 1,500,000 85.00% spolocnosti - Open Society www.osf.sk
Foundation (NOS-OSF)
NGO Fund - Support for SOCIA - Social Reform
SK0009 € 1,764,706 € 1,500,000 85.00% www.socia.sk
Social Inclusion Foundation
NGO Fund - sustainable
SK0011 € 2,352,941 € 2,000,000 85.00% Nadacia Ekopolis www.ekopolis.sk
development
GRAND TOTAL € 93,264,956 € 85,347,695 1919
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 123
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 12 Overview of sectors/themes/priorities covered by NGO Funds
Country and NGO
Priorities/themes supported by the NGO Fund
Fund
PL0168 – - Respect for democratic principles
Democracy - Improving knowledge on civil society and democratic processes
and Civil - Expansion of institutional capacities of NGOs and development of the
Society non-governmental sector.
- Education on environment protection
- Conservation of natural heritage
PL0169 – - Enforcement of environmental protection law
Environmental - Actions for partnerships for ecological efficiency
Protection and - Activities for improvement of social awareness
PL Sustainable - Financial and institutional aspects of sustainable development
Development - Restructuring the tourism market in Poland with special focus on ecology
- Development of conditions for continued and sustainable development of
rural areas.
- Help and reinforcement of position of victims and discriminated
PL0170 –
- Support of sustainable regional and local development
Equal
- Combining cultural heritage protection with local communities
Opportunities
development
and Social
- Vocational activation of socially excluded groups
Integration
- Actions focused on improving social awareness
- Multicultural Environment in Communities
Strengthening of Human Rights and Fight against Discrimination and
CZ CZ0004 Racism.
- Children and Young People with Specific Problems
Environmental Protection.
- Environmental protection and sustainable development
HU0068 – - Civil liberties and capacity building
NGO Fund - Social cohesion, and health and childcare
- Cultural heritage.
HU - Promotion of sustainable development
HU0010 – - Strengthening of social participation in environmental decision making
Environmental process
NGO Fund - Shaping environmental friendly consumer patterns
- Raising environmental awareness
- Support for regular NGO activities (measure 1)
- Support for new organisations of those starting activity in a new field
LV0008 –
(measure 2)
NGO Fund –
- Support in implementation of sub-project in priority fields of the EEA
Financial Mechanism and Norwegian Financial Mechanism (measure 3)
- Strengthening operational capacity of ethnic minority NGOs, support of
LV the cultural activities of ethnic minority groups, informing of society at
LV0061 – large about culture, traditions and religion of ethnic minority groups,
Society support to translation of literature form languages of ethnic minority
Integration groups into Latvian and from Latvian into languages of ethnic minority
Fund groups, informing of society at large about ethnic integration issues, extra
curricula activities of schools aimed at promoting cooperation of pupils of
different ethnic origin.
- Sustainable development
LT0008 –
LT - Strengthening of democracy and civil society
NGO Fund
- Social integration and local development
124 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
- Protection of human rights
SK0008 – - Antidiscrimination
NGO Fund - Strengthening the judiciary
- Strengthening the multicultural environment
- Helping families and children in situation of crisis,
- Assisting young people and older children who lack sufficient stimulation
SK0009 –
SK of personal growth development
NGO Fund
- Institutional development of NGOs supplying social and community
services for children, youth and families in danger
- Protection of the environment
SK0010 – - Sustainable energy
NGO Fund - Food security
- Environmental education
PT0032 – - Protection of human rights and strengthening of citizenship
NGO Fund - Enhancing skills of youngsters in social responsibility and promoting civic
Citizenship and cultural participation in the community
and Civil - Promotion of entrepreneurship and employment opportunities of
PT Society individuals belonging to especially vulnerable social groups
PT0033 –
- Protection of environment
National
- Promotion of sustainable development through improved resource use
Environmental
and management
NGO Fund
- Democracy and civil society development (50%)
EE0014 –
EE - Environment and sustainable development (25%)
NGO Fund
- Social integration and local development (25%)
- Protection of environment and promotion of sustainable development
BG0010 – - Provision and development of social services, such as health and
BG
NGO Fund childcare
- Development of civil society and protection of human rights
- Protection of human rights, anti-discrimination and social inclusion
- Support to children and youth with specific problems
- Social services
RO0010 –
RO - Environment
NGO Fund
- Conservation of cultural heritage
- Small grants scheme – environment
- Small grants scheme – conservation of cultural heritage
- Protection of environment and sustainable development
- Development of human resources through promotion of democratic and
SI0024 – NGO
SI civil society process
Fund
- Cultural heritage conservation
- Health and child care
CY0017 – - Health and childcare services
CY
NGO Fund - Empowerment of young people in the civil society
Source: NGO Fund set-up documents (Annex III)
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Table 13 Alignment of objectives and donor priorities
EEA and Norway Financial Mechanisms
Human resource Implementation of Technical
Priority Conservation Regional
Protection of Promotion of dev. (incl. civil Health Academic Schengen acquis assistance
of European policy and
the sustainable liberties, and research and and relating to
104 cultural cross-border
Country environment development democracy & childcare development strengthening the implementation
heritage activities
human rights) judiciary of acquis
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Rep.
Estonia
Hungary 1
Hungary 2
Lithuania
Latvia 1
Latvia 2
Poland 1
Poland 2
Poland 3
Portugal 1
Portugal 2
Romania
Slovakia 1
Slovakia 2
Slovakia 3
Slovenia
Blue Colour = Priority sectors in each country, defined in the Memorandums of Understanding, Annex B;
= Priority sector supported under the NGO Fund, as defined in the NGO Fund set up.
104
Hungary 1 – NGO Fund; Hungary 2 – Environmental NGO Fund; Latvia 1 – NGO Fund; Latvia 2 – Society Integration NGO Fund; Poland 1 – Democracy and Civil Society NGO Fund; Poland 2 –
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development NGO Fund; Poland 3 – Equal Opportunities and Social Integration NGO Fund; Portugal 1 – NGO Fund Citizenship and Human Rights;
Portugal 2 – National Environmental NGO Fund; Slovakia 1 – Human Rights NGO Fund; Slovakia 2 – Social Inclusion NGO Fund; Slovakia 3 – Sustainable Development NGO Fund.
126 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 3. Country Summaries
Bulgaria
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 Currently data for Bulgaria is being updated using the CIVICUS framework and should
result in a report later this year.105
 Of the registered NGOs in Bulgaria, around 3000 are considered active, according to the
research for this new report. In 2005, NGOs were seen to be concentrated in large cities
(46%) or urban areas (38%). The weakness of NGOs in rural areas was noted during the
evaluation.
 Updating of the legal framework for NGOs was carried out in 2001, but less than half of
NGOs see the legal environment as enabling for NGOs. Tax concessions are available
to NGOs, but the tax treatment of the various types of income for the not-for-profit legal
entity is reviewed depending on whether they result from business or non-profit activity.
There is a further distinction of NGOs with some ascribed status as Public Benefit
Organisations, who benefit from greater tax concessions and access to funds from
governmental sources.
 Even though state funding for NGOs is increasing to a certain extent, such support is still
minimal. There is no mechanism for distributing funds to NGOs at the local level, nor do
the EU Operational Programmes under Structural Funds reach the local level. A serious
issue is the fact that most NGO funding provided through EU mechanisms is distributed
by the state. This leads to political dependence of NGOs and seriously affects advocacy
organisations that might then be less eager to criticize their donor. It also creates
potential corruption opportunities, such as channelling funds to organisations in which
state officials are involved.
 The general political framework has worsened, with allegations of political corruption and
strong business lobbies behind major policy decisions. This has reduced the
effectiveness of NGO campaigns that confront business interests, such as the coalition
of green NGOs fighting against the construction of hotels and resorts in nature parks and
reserves. In addition, there is no law on lobbying even though two draft laws have been
introduced in Parliament. It is unclear whether, if adopted, these laws will take into
consideration the role of NGOs or will create obstacles for their work.
 NGOs traditionally receive „in-kind‟ support such as office space from local authorities. In
the last few years Bulgaria has seen some increase in private and corporate
philanthropy, as well as in volunteers. Diversification of funding is still underdeveloped.
 Citizen engagement and activism is still underdeveloped. According to the BCSS survey
in 2004, only one-quarter of citizens took part in any civil society organisation (CSO)
action during a 12 months period, and less than 25% of citizens are members of a CSO.
Some community level activity is reported, involving no more than 25% of citizens. Often,
these activities are undertaken under the umbrella of tenant councils, which are informal
citizen organisations that address problems, make decisions, and organise collective
actions. However, in most communities, a lack self-initiative or recognised local leaders
prevents effective citizen involvement. Destructive individualism and paternalistic
stereotypes often prevail. There is also a lack of mechanisms and sufficiently high
interest on the part of local authorities to mobilize local communities for public benefit.
 There is no current NGO strategy. Practically no Intermediary support organisations
(ISOs) exist, though expertise and training are available to the NGO sector, usually for a
fee.
 A Union of Bulgarian Foundations and Associations exists only on paper; it has long
ceased to be a working and adequate umbrella organisation.
105
Currently under preparation by the Open Society Fund.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 127
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 The structure of the NGO sector in Bulgaria is very fluid. Not many stable networks
operate and no organisation represents the sector as a whole. There is no centralized
place where people can get information on the NGO sector, such as an NGO portal. The
portals that were created in past years are not updated. There are some umbrella
organisations, such as the Bulgarian Association of Regional Development Agencies,
interest-based coalitions, and informal groups of NGOs operating in different sectors
such as social issues, human rights, and local development. Formation of coalitions is
not a priority for NGOs, who are not willing to support them financially over the long term.
 The latest ethical code initiative that started in 2007 did not succeed, so NGOs in
Bulgaria do not have a working ethical code.
 The partnership between civil society and government as a whole are mainly based on
sub-project principles to utilize the resources provided by donors. The partnership
initiatives between NGOs and local authorities are very often due mainly to personal
contacts. Civil society in Bulgaria does not effectively participate in the consultation
process preceding decision-making processes on either the local or national level.
 Overall, Bulgarian civil society‟s watchdog role towards the state is only moderately
developed. According to a survey carried out in the South Central Planning Region, only
46% of the respondents indicate a need for developing their skills for monitoring of the
local policies, indicating a lack of understanding of the role of NGOs as watchdogs.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up, with an overall aim to strengthen civil society by supporting sub-
projects to strengthen civil society in Bulgaria and support activities within the following
thematic areas:
 Protection of the environment and promotion of sustainable development;
 Provision and development of social services, such as in health and childcare;
 Development of civil society and protection of human rights.
The two open calls were launched in 2008 and in 2009. The financial range of the sub-
projects eligible for application ranged from €10,000 to €100,000 under the first call (all
priority areas) and from €10,000 to €75,000 (Priority Area 1) and from €10,000 to €50,000
(Priority Areas 2 and 3) under the second call. The maximum duration of the sub-projects
for co-financing was set at 18 months from 1st open call and 15 months from the second
open call, so that all of the sub-projects are expected to be completed in 2010.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund was contracted directly by the Financial Mechanism
Office and was a consortium of two foundations: the Bulgarian Environmental Partnership
Foundation and the Foundation for Local Government Reform.
128 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.
BULG ARIA NGO Fund 106
The main result observed in Bulgaria, according to the Intermediary, is strengthened
capacity and development of skills in the thematic areas of NGO work. This statement is
supported by the respondents to the questionnaires, where they reported capacity
strengthening in all but one sub-sector.107 Example of successful sub-project
NGOs have expanded their geographical Sub-sector: Provision and development of social
coverage of services, trained their services, such as in health and childcare.
employees for work with specific target Association of patients with oncological diseases
groups (e.g. visually impaired), worked in studied changes of legislation from 2006 to present
their thematic area (biodiversity, parenting and analysed deficiencies in the legislation. On this
skills) established models for civil basis, they prepared a unified model of medical and
social activities, which were not included in the
participation in monitoring of state bodies national policy for cancer treatment. In the light of
(energy and water regulation, anti- specific needs of patients with cancer a uniform
discrimination, and waste management), standard of social services for cancer patients was
and involved more volunteers. However, prepared.
these results are spread thinly across the
different sectors, as individual efforts in local environments.108
Raising public awareness on different topics is a common objective, appearing in all but one
sub-sector in Bulgaria. Many dissemination events have been organised.109 Again, these
activities are dispersed and not targeted, and it will be difficult to measure any impact (this
has not been attempted yet).
106
In Bulgaria, four sub-projects were completed (6% of all sub-projects). Two of the end beneficiaries filled in the
questionnaire.
107
Health - general, where the focus was on awareness raising.
108
For example, establishment of an association for anti-discrimination policy of the consumers of water supply services on the
territory of waste management system in Yambol.
109
Information meetings and leaflets on family / social issues, press conferences and information campaigns on democracy
and civil society, public debates on problems of children with disorders, books and web sites on sustainable development
and environmental protection, seminars on psychic health, on-line data on state of Bulgarian forest.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 129
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Some social services have been developed in the areas of social and family issues and
health and childcare. Other results are specific to individual sub-projects and cannot be
aggregated.
30 end beneficiaries who returned the questionnaire believed that they were, or would be,
successful in reaching their objectives (around 6.7% relatively successful, 87%. successful,
and 6.7% very successful).
The above results indicate that the purpose of the NGO Fund to strengthen civil society in
the supported thematic fields and provide social services is likely to be achieved.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Only two of the supported sub-projects have partners from Norway and one from Iceland.
For Bulgaria it was not a priority of the Fund to support bilateral partnerships and the agreed
partnerships were not considered as very successful or vital for the sub-project success. The
Intermediaries considered that more time is necessary to establish viable partnerships and
not formal ones. The Norwegian Embassy consider that it is not always an advantage to
have a Norwegian partner; it depends very much on the expertise field of the NGO, on the
knowledge about the recipient NGO – and sufficient time and money is needed in order to
get acquainted with the situation and establish feeling of trust. The price of such partnerships
should also be considered – they are much more expensive than building local partnerships.
It has to be carefully assessed what added value the Norwegian partner will bring to the
respective sub-project. Sub-projects with Norwegian partners should not be given extra
bonus; rather the assessment should be based on the quality of the sub-projects.
130 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Cyprus
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
The situation in Cyprus is complex. The republic of Cyprus is an internationally recognised
independent country, member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the
Commonwealth and since 2004, a full member of the European Union, with the sovereignity
of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole of its territory. However, since the Turkish invasion
in 1974, the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not excersise effective control on
the occupied part of Cypurs.
In the areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of
Cyprus exercises effective control
 An enabling environment exists for NGOs, with relatively simple registration procedures.
Tax benefits for NGOs exist. There is minimal transparency in NGO funding allocations
as the state is ineffective in the monitoring of NGO finances. There are no efficient
regulatory bodies to monitor NGO finances.
 The general environment provides safeguards for political rights and civil liberties; there
is a clear separation of powers, a well-respected judiciary and a comprehensive legal
framework against fraud and corruption providing sufficient capacity to engage in
advocacy and criticize government. CSOs operate in high levels of freedom in their
advocacy activities. The Republic of Cyprus has a constitutional and legal framework
that enables citizens to assemble, organise, advocate and criticize freely.
 However, NGO authority and autonomy is very limited due to their close affiliations to
political parties; CSO-state relations are dependent on these affiliations. Clientalism is
noted as a feature of links and influence.110
 The Government is currently in the process of drafting an NGO strategy
 NGOs have access to limited resources, and diversity of resourcing has not been
achieved.
 Citizen involvement is higher in the urban areas than in rural areas, and mostly in the
capital Nicosia, and activities do not actively involve rural areas and communities.
According to the CSI Report on Cyprus, the active participation of citizens in NGO
activities was below 50%, even though their population survey had shown that a large
percentage had donated to charity on a regular basis.
 Cooperation and communication between different sectors of civil society is limited.
Communication between NGOs is influenced by their relative affiliations to political
parties, yet when they do have common concern, there seems to be a good effort to
cooperate with each other.
 Umbrella or representative organisations are not necessarily seen as effective. One
national level organisation that is seeking to mobilise the sector as a whole is the Pan-
Cyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council.
In the areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus
does not exercise effective control’:
 All citizens may establish an association and form a trade union without prior notice or
permission. Associations are not-for-profit and members are volunteers. Establishing an
association is fairly easy and inexpensive. Foundations can also be established. These
NGOs are not registered in the Republic of Cyprus.
110
The Intermediary feels that the vast majority of NGOs in Cyprus are not politically affiliated. A very limited number of NGOs
have political affiliations.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 131
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 However, there is a small civil society, with limited civic participation and low participation
in bi-communal initiatives. Membership in trade/labour unions, cooperative organisations
or groups, as well as educations groups (such as parent-teacher associations) is greater
than for other types of CSOs.
 There are constraints on the establishment of more formal umbrella organisations, since
specific legal provisions for their establishment do not exist.
 Although CSOs are prohibited from engaging in politics, the right to criticize 'government'
and freedom of expression is safeguarded by relevant directives.
 Despite the presence of Turkish troops and heavy reliance on Turkey for economic
needs, civil society seems to operate in a relatively politically free way and with
respected civil liberties. The socio-economic environment is largely favourable despite
the „irrational public administration‟.
 The regulatory framework is however comprised by patronage and state centralization,
creating lack of transparency and accountability within the public administration.
Relationships between NGOs are influenced by political affiliations, and competition for
funds.
 Low levels of volunteerism are recorded; however in a study conducted by the Institute of
Research and Cyprus Studies (SOAR) in 2002, it was reported that 31% of CSOs relied
on salaried staff and 69% on volunteers. The report found that 118 CSOs relied on 1795
volunteers. 21% of citizens were recorded in 2004-5 as undertaking voluntary work
within an organisation. Membership in human rights organisations is low (2%).
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up with the aim to strengthen civil society in Cyprus and support
activities within the following thematic areas:
- Health and childcare;
- Empowerment of young people.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund for Cyprus was First Elements Euroconsultants, a
private company with limited liability. It was contracted by the National Focal Point.
An open call was launched in 2008. The financial range of the sub-projects eligible for
application was between €15,000 and €70,000. The maximum duration of the sub-projects
was set at 12 months, and all of the sub-projects are expected to be completed in 2010.
49% of the sub-projects are bi-communal projects are being implemented by NGOs
registered in the Republic of Cyprus and their partners (mainly Turkish Cypriot NGOs which
are not registered in the Republic of Cyprus). However, when implementing projects of bi-
communal character, it was agreed that,
“In the implementation of actions in the framework of bi-communal NGO-projects
financed under the NGO Fund, the contracting parties being the NGO Fund Intermediary
and the NGO-project end-recipient, shall ensure that:
(i) The rights of natural or legal persons including the rights to possessions and property
shall be respected. In this context, the contracting parties shall act in accordance with
the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
(ii) For any actions financed under the NGO Fund involving travelling abroad, the legal
points of entry and exit of the Republic of Cyprus shall be used.
(iii) Payments to beneficiaries shall only be made through legally operating banking
institutions in the Republic of Cyprus.”
33 sub-projects were awarded with a total value of €1,520,750.
132 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
CYPRUS NGO Fund
None of the sub-projects in Cyprus have been completed so far, and it is too early to
comment on the likelihood of delivering the planned results or achieving the NGO Fund
objectives.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Six bilateral partnerships exist (27% of the grants). The Intermediary explained that during
the proposal preparation, it had worked closely with the NHC to attract Norwegian NGOs for
partnering with local NGOs for joint proposal preparation.
However, with regards to Norwegian partners and Cypriot NGOs, Norwegian Embassy
representatives explained that unfortunately in a few cases, Norwegian partners were not
aware that they were partners, and found out they were partners by accident. The Cypriot
NGOs had proposed partnerships and named Norwegian partners without their knowledge,
probably to gain good will. Although the Norwegian partners were surprised, they were also
very supportive. They explained that the Norwegian Embassy was not instrumental in
bringing the partners together, but they were able to reinforce the ties between them by
financially facilitating the visits of the Norwegian partners. Generally however, there has
been development in strengthening of ties and knowledge exchange between Norway and
Cyprus.111
111
The intermediary notes that “The application form required that for an organisation or organized grouping to become
partner in a proposal required the Letter of Intent template to be duly completed and signed by the legal representative of
the partner organisation. This prerequisite was also checked during contracting with successful end beneficiaries whereby
it is impossible that an organisation is partner in a sub-project without its prior knowledge. The same applies for bilateral
sub-projects of the NGO Fund‟. This should preclude such problems.”
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 133
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Czech Republic
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 The registered number of NGOs in 2009 was 107,028, of which around 83% were
registered in the regions. There are no legal obligations in place for civic associations for
the cancellation of registration; therefore statistical data is unreliable, as many
organisations are thought to have ceased to function whilst still remaining registered. It
is estimated that about one third of civic associations ceased their activities, or are
dormant.
 The term NGO, even though frequently used, is not as such defined by any legal
regulation. Generally they are considered to be organisations established as mutually
beneficial or publicly beneficial. There is no single public registry of all NGOs, as they
are registered with particular registration entities. A registry of NGOs was created and
launched by the Ministry of Informatics in 2006, which is currently operated by Ministry of
Interior. However registration is not mandatory for NGOs.
 Economic activity of NGOs is problematical, as it is not exactly defined in the legislation.
 There is a governmental strategy - Assessment of Conception for Promotion of NGO
Sector Development for the Years 2009-2013, Government Board for NGOs (2007,
Revised 2008)
 Citizen volunteering is increasing, but in certain specific sectors only, such as sports
clubs, volunteer fire brigades, religious and spiritual organisations etc., and often
involving young people. 47% of citizens donated in 2004 in cash or kind.
 The tax regime allows for tax exempt donations from companies to NGOs.
 NGO membership in coalitions is limited, and those coalitions that exist do not generally
represent the entire sector. Some specialized and regional coalitions exist. The
government and the public administration have been calling for an integrated
representation of the whole sector. The RNNO (Government Board of NGOs - Rada
vlady pro NNO), which helps to promote NGO interests, has increased communication
with existing umbrella organisations and NGO coalitions in order to keep them more
informed. There are about 80 umbrella organisations that bring together NGOs with the
same or similar field of operation (association of children and youth, environmental,
social, individual sports, etc.). Despite several attempts, universal association of non-
profit organisations, which would bring together all kinds of NGOs, whether national or
regional level, have not been successful. Competition in the NGO sector is seen as a
stumbling block for increased umbrella and coalition building.
 The advent of EU Structural Funds and programmes has led to an increase in the
development of inter-sectoral partnerships; however, these partnerships have been
formed primarily to fulfil EU obligations rather than to address specific needs or
situations. At the local level in some regions, inter-sectoral partnerships work efficiently.
 For social service NGOs, a 2008 call for proposals for the provision of public services
appeared to demonstrate state preference for Government Operated Non-Governmental
Organisations (GONGOs) in awarding contracts. As a result, NGOs are seen to be
receiving less funding. Combined with having to adapt to a new Law on Social Services,
the situation has become difficult, and it is reported that some organisations are on the
verge of closing.
 The Czech Government approves Main Areas of State Subsidy Policy for NGOs on a
yearly basis. The main areas of state subsidy policy are derived from the plan
announced by the programmes of individual ministries. State subsidies have some
problems, including the undefined notion of non-governmental organisations, and what is
and what is not considered a public utility, and to whom and for what to provide
subsidies. There are also difficulties with the allocation and schedule of subsidies with
late grant decisions and a requirement that funds have to be spent by the end of a year.
134 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Communication between the government and NGOs is relatively effective at the central
level. NGOs have representatives in ministerial advisory bodies and in the RNNO, but
membership is by government invitation not NGO sector choice. The legislative and
financial committee started to work intensively in 2008; it focused on new legal drafts
concerning the organisational forms of NGOs and participated in the preparation of the
Civil Code and the Law on Public Benefit Organisations.
 At the regional level, the government relies on NGOs for community planning and
creating regional development strategies, but this does not apply in all regions.
Generally, regions have grant strategies and rules for NGO support, while smaller towns
and villages do not work as systematically, and their support is random and improvised.
 Advocacy work is growing.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up with the aim of improving the life in communities through NGOs‟
activities and services provision, and strengthening civil society at local and regional level.
The priorities were to improve multicultural environment in communities, to strengthen
human rights and fight against discrimination and racism, to support children and youth with
specific problems, and environmental protection.
Three open calls were launched in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The financial range of the sub-
projects eligible for application ranged from €10,000 to €50,000 in the first call, €20,000 to
€100,000 in the second call, and €20,000 to €50,000 in the third call. The maximum
duration of sub-projects for co-financing was set 12 months in the first and the third calls,
and between 12 and 24 months in the second call. 79 sub-projects should have ended in
2008, another 12 in 2009, and 121 sub-projects are expected to be completed in the year
2010.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund was the Civic Society Development Foundation
(NROS), an NGO contracted by the National Focal Point.
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 135
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.
CZECH REPUBLIC NGO Fund 112
Strengthened capacity is the result most often reported, though few sub-projects are yet
completed. In NGOs dealing with health, staff and new trainers were trained, and services
were expanded. Educational workers, NGOs, professionals and students developed a
network.
Increased public awareness was often reported as a result. Many dissemination events
have been organised.113 Other results are specific to individual sub-projects and cannot be
aggregated under a general objective.114
More than half (approximately 57%) of the
44 end beneficiaries who filled in the Example of successful sub-project
Sub-sector: Protection of the environment –
questionnaire believed that they were
General.
relatively successful in reaching the
Nesehnutí Brno implemented a sub-project “Focus on
objectives, around 39% believed that they hypermarkets – public participation in decision-making
were successful and only around 5% on environmental impact”. The project team analyzed
believed that they were very successful. and published a study Environmental impact of planned
spatial expansion of large-scale retail sector in Czech
Republic in 2007. Different angles were taken into
The above results indicate that the account – geography of retailing, shopping behaviour,
purpose of the NGO Fund to improve the planning and landscape ecology, workers‟ rights and
multi-cultural environment and minority the interaction with local community. Good conditions
human rights protection, quality of life of for promoting systemic change have been created.
children and youth with specific problems Sub-project outputs included designing of planning
document for lobbying activities. Significant success
and environmental protection was was recorded in the public courses and information
addressed, particularly through increased seminars. Among outputs were various side events,
public awareness of these issues, and people carrying shopping bags of organic cotton and
individual sub-project results. A more linen, notepads from recycled paper, recycled plastic
pens and badges with signs “Person is not a puppet of
in-depth investigation would be required to the hypermarket.”
establish if the NGO Fund objectives will
be achieved.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Partnership is not a condition for sub-project applicants. There were five bilateral
partnerships created in the third call. In the first two calls there were the same rules applied
for partners as for applicants. In the third call, the Intermediary changed the rules for partner
eligibility according to Norwegian law, and this resulted in bilateral partnerships (i.e. could
involve foundations, research and academic institutions). The Norwegian Helsinki
Committee verified that the Norwegian partners complied with the law.
The Intermediary felt that there was unwillingness amongst NGOs to share and
communicate and this was a reason for not maintaining partnerships. Another reason was
that NGOs did not act in time - it was too late to start searching for a partner once a call for
proposals had been launched (confirmed by the Norwegian Embassy who had also tried to
help link partners).
112
In the Czech Republic 91 sub-projects were completed (43% of all sub-projects). 16 of the end beneficiaries (7% of
completed sub-projects and 5% of all sub-projects) filled in the questionnaire.
113
Web sites, CDs, publications, advisory services, exhibitions, awareness raising events on environmental protection, social
inclusion, democracy, childcare, and addiction.
114
These included protection of barn owls, conservation of green areas in certain cities, renovated natural trail, waste
management plan, locally improved integration of minorities, and prevention of discrimination in specific cases.
136 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Both Focus Groups appreciated effort of the Intermediary in developing partner database
and helping in partner searches. The key barriers are seen as:
 Information is often not in English on the Norwegian NGO website
 For some topics there are no Norwegian NGO partners as the system is organised
completely different form the Czech one (social field).
 Some negative experiences from bilateral cooperation in the past
 They have tried to contact NGOs on the database who know nothing of the scheme
(confirmed by the Norwegian Embassy).
The Intermediary has only recently started a sub-project (funded from the Norwegian
Programme Technical Assistance) focusing on support of bilateral partnerships. They
organised the first workshop in February 2010 - there were about 100 participants
registered. They will continue with creating a partner database, and other supporting
activities (e.g. contact point for Czech NGOs, and study tour to Norway for about 20
organisations). The problem is that they cannot pay salary costs from the programme, only
services.
The Intermediary was worried that a gap in funding would undermine bilateral partnerships.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 137
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Estonia
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 Just over 29,000 NGOs were recorded as registered in 2009.
 In general, the legal environment is favourable for NGOs. Organisations operate freely,
and the government provides for the freedom of assembly and civic activism.
Registration of an NGO, reporting and other communications with authorities can be
done online. After years of delay, the Parliament finally adopted amendments to the law
that will make non-profit associations‟ annual reports public from 2010. Associations are
currently the only legal bodies in Estonia who do not present their annual reports to the
public registry, but to the Tax and Customs Board, where the public has no access to
them. This long-needed change will make the sector more transparent and will help to
remove defunct organisations from the public registry. NGOs receive tax concessions.
 Volunteers are utilized by many organisations. However, the status of volunteers and
the actual content of the term still need to be clarified. To successfully involve
volunteers, organisations need a legal framework. Some non-profit organisations are
working to increase the capacity of organisations to involve and manage volunteers as
well as reward them, but broader national vision, action plan and resources are needed
to really enhance volunteering.
 Regional development centres, financed from the state budget, exist in every county,
providing consulting and basic training for NGOs free of charge. In 2008, increased
funding allowed the centres to increase the number and quality of training. Funding for
organising training and conferences is relatively easy to find;
 The system of sectoral umbrella organisations is well established. These organisations
serve as development and advocacy bodies on behalf of their sectors. Although good
examples of regional umbrella bodies exist, cooperation between NGOs could be better
at the regional level. To encourage this cooperation, NFCS (National Fund for Civil
Society) put out a special call for applications for new regional umbrella organisations to
receive start-up funding and for existing umbrella organisations to receive support
funding. At the national level, Network of Estonian Non-profit Organisations (NENO)
serves as the umbrella and advocacy organisation for public benefit NGOs, dealing with
issues common to all organisations.
 The advocacy initiatives of NGOs have become more professional, and many of them
are successful. Many advocacy campaigns take place at a regional level. A growing
trend is for NGOs to use Internet opportunities for mobilizing support, such as collecting
signatures for petitions.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up with the purpose to improve the capacity, role and influence of
Estonian civil society organisations and supported activities within the following thematic
areas:
- Democracy and civil society development
- Environment and sustainable development
- Social integration and local development
Five open calls were launched, one in 2007, three in 2008, and one in 2009. The financial
range of the sub-projects eligible for application was between €1,278 and €6,391 for small-
scale sub-projects and between €6,392 and €31,956 for large-scale sub-projects. The
maximum duration of the sub-projects was set at 12 months for small-scale sub-projects and
24 months for large-scale sub-projects, so that 8 sub-projects ended in 2008, another 71 in
2009, and 70 sub-projects are expected to be completed in the year 2010 and 6 are to be
completed in 2011.
138 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund was Open Estonia Foundation, an NGO, contracted by
the National Focal Point.
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.
ESTONI A NGO Fund 115
The main contribution of the NGO Fund was the support of areas not supported before. The
capacity of NGOs has been strengthened, especially
through networking and meetings, such as advocacy Example of successful sub-project
for children through a network of family clubs. Sub-sector Social integration and
local development.
NGOs have showed possible solutions to improve the MTÜ Club patchwork plus prepared a
sub-project “Presents to newborn babies
quality of life in relation to the everyday situation. in Narva City”. The sub-project united
NGO Fund gave opportunities to NGOs to increase women in Narva city, who have a talent
awareness on social issues and network for specific for handicraft and are willing to do
themes, such as advocacy for children. voluntary good for their own city. They
used cloth pieces to design and sew
presents for newborn babies. The sub-
project engaged new members in
Of the 19 end beneficiary respondents, 7 (37%) society, enhanced charity, developed
believed that they were or would be successful and 12 common activities, and initiated
(63%) that they were or would be very successful in cooperation between women in Narva.
reaching their objectives.
The purpose of the Estonian NGO Fund was to improve the capacity, role and influence of
Estonian civil society organisations. The improvement in capacity is likely to be achieved,
but further interventions will be required to achieve a wider role and influence.
115
In Estonia 79 sub-projects were completed (51% of all sub-projects).
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 139
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Whilst most sub-projects have partners, only 7 are shown in the FMO database as bilateral,
but these include partners from Finland and Denmark. The Norwegian Embassy has been
promoting partnership, but nevertheless this has not been taken up, compared to other parts
of the NGO Funds. There are several reasons for not having a partners in the Embassy‟s
opinion relating to NGOs not seeing the value of Norwegian NGO partners; and also
because the role of bilateral and international cooperation was not acknowledged by the
Fund in the first place.
140 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Hungary
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 There are 64,925 registered NGOs in 2009, of which 58,000 are thought to be active.
25% of NGOs are registered in Budapest, and 60% of the income of NGOs is
concentrated there. Half of the NGOs do not exceed 500 000 HUF (2200 €) as their
annual income.
 Article 63 of the Constitution guarantees the right of association for purposes not
prohibited by law. The Act on Freedom of Association allows private individuals, legal
persons and organisations without legal status to create civil organisations and to
operate them in accordance with the objectives of the organisation and the intentions of
the founding members. However, the term „civil organisations‟ was legally contained in
the Act on the National Civil Fund only in 2003. In some cases, especially in connection
to EU regulations and actions, trade unions are also defined as civil entities. The Civil
Code regulates the formation of foundations. A Non-Profit Companies Act came into
force on 1 July 2007. This act introduced the concept of a „non-profit company‟ that can
carry out common economic activities that do not generate a profit. A non-profit
company can also have public benefit status. The Act on Public Benefit Organisations is
a special legislation linking together private and public law regulations. It defines the
scope of public benefit organisations (from civil society organisations to foundations to
non-profit companies) and determines the fiscal conditions to which they are entitled.
 There is a law on volunteer work, which entered into force 1st October 2005. This
legislation introduces compulsory registration of all volunteers working at NGOs.
According to the law it is possible to account for the work of volunteers. About 4% of
population are known to volunteer.
 The Government‟s Civil Society Strategy of 2002 was reviewed following the elections in
2006. The major conceptual change in the new document is that the government has
defined five areas where it sees its primary goals for intervention: 1) improvement in
methods for civil participation; 2) review and development of the legal environment; 3)
strengthening the effective operation of CSOs; 4) creating an applicant-friendly tender
procedure for state support; 5) promotion of the participation of CSOs in public services
delivery (of state and local governments). At the governmental level there are „guiding
principles‟, which, among other things, require that line ministries develop their own
strategies for civil society and NGOs. This document also encourages and helps local
governments to establish their own relationship with civil society at the local level.
Several umbrella organisations were involved in drafting the civil strategy, but they do
not represent the overall civil sector, and they were not always playing advocacy roles.
 NGOs are basically not affected by political influence; nonetheless there are few civil
organisations that can afford not to accept any support from the state. This affects the
communication between the state and NGOs. There is also compulsory involvement of
the NGOs in planning procedures, such as the National Development Plan, but real
partnership has still not been established. In the state-NGO relationship most legislation
regulates the responsibilities of NGOs towards the state but does not regulate the state‟s
responsibilities towards NGO.
 The interaction between CSOs and local governments is extensive. There are several
forms of cooperation, from the contracting of services to participation in local decision-
making processes. The Act on Local Governments requires local governments to
regulate their relationship with local CSOs but also provides for great flexibility in how to
do so. Although the interaction is extensive, the quality of the co-operation is variable:
local governments usually meet only the legal minimum requirement for involvement of
CSOs in local decision-making processes. The influence of CSOs on local issues is not
significant.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 141
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 There is no national umbrella organisation for NGOs although there have been several
attempts to form one. These attempts have all failed due to the diverse political influence
in NGOs, the lack of trust, and competition between NGOs for funds available. However
there are good examples of partnership between NGOs within specific fields, e.g.
environment. There are more and more successful local, micro region level coalitions
established, as well as successful coalitions dealing with particular issues.
 There are only few NGOs which are active monitoring state performance and holding the
state accountable. This is also due to the fact that most NGOs receive funding from the
local or central government, and thus cannot be considered as independent. The most
serious problem regarding the relationship between CSOs and the state or local
government is a trend in the politicisation of the NGO sector, which has resulted in the
state having direct influence in NGOs.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
Two NGO Funds were set up, the NGO Fund and the Environmental NGO Fund. The
purpose of the NGO Fund was to strengthen civil society in Hungary by supporting sub-
projects within the priority sectors in the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian
Financial Mechanism. Simultaneously, the purpose of the Environmental NGO Fund was to
increase engagement of NGOs in environmental decision-making processes with particular
emphasis on involvement in the implementation of the 2nd National Environmental
Programme, EU and national legislation. Funds strengthened civil society in Hungary and
supported activities within the following thematic areas:
NGO Fund: Environmental NGO Fund:
- Environmental protection and - Protection of environment
sustainable development - Sustainable development
- Civil liberties and capacity building - education
- Social cohesion and health and
childcare
- Cultural landscape
Under the Environmental NGO Fund one open call was launched in 2007 and three were
launched under NGO Fund. The first one was published in 2008 and the other two in 2009.
The financial range of the sub-projects eligible for application under NGO Fund ranged
between €5,000 to €25,000 for micro grants and between €25,000 and 80,000 for macro
grants. Under the Environmental NGO Fund, the financial range of the sub-projects was set
between €10,000 and €250,000. The distribution was as shown in the histograms below.
Duration of the sub-projects for co-financing was set between 12 and 24 months for sub-
projects co-financed under NGO Fund and between 4 and 36 months for sub-projects
co-financed under Environmental NGO Fund. Two sub-projects ended in 2008 and another
62 in 2009, and 172 sub-projects are expected to be completed in the year 2010.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund was a consortium of the Hungarian Environmental
Partnership Foundation, the Foundation for Development of Democratic Rights, Autonomia
Foundation, and Carpathian Foundation. The consortium was contracted directly by the
Financial Mechanism Office. For the Environmental NGO Fund, the Intermediary was the
Ministry for Environment and Water, contracted by the National Focal Point.
142 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 143
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.116
40% of Hungarian respondents (55) stated that they were very successful in reaching their
objectives. Around 34% of them believed they were successful and a quarter thought that
they were relatively successful.
A. HUNGARY NGO FUND
Most sub-projects have still not been completed. The Intermediary reported only on
significant increase of NGOs‟ capacity. The most important result was the replacement of
the top-down approach for sub-project generation with a bottom-up approach. The EEA and
Norway Grant have helped end beneficiaries to apply for other donor funds. New employees
have been employed by NGOs and new NGOs have emerged.
Questionnaire respondents regularly cited increased public awareness through web sites,
booklets, exhibition festivals and other promotional campaigns. Promotion campaigns
reached over 2 million people, and were employed in all supported sub-sectors. Knowledge
transfer was established In all sub-sectors as well. Under all the supported thematic areas,
16 teachers for education for convicts were trained, trainers for environmental protection
measures were trained, and new tools for disseminating knowledge (web sites and books)
were developed. In addition, new cooperation with municipalities has been reported. In this
way, NGOs actively cooperate in policy development.
The purpose of the NGO Fund was very wide, to ensure participation of NGOs in the
reduction of social and economic disparities within the EEA. Whilst completed sub-projects
may not have contributed to a reduction of social and economic disparities as such, the
strengthening of the NGO sector will contribute towards social and economic improvements.
B. HUNGARI AN ENVIRONMENTAL NG O FUND
Under the Environmental NGO Fund, research on environmental protection was undertaken.
End beneficiaries achieved increased public awareness on environmental issues through
workshops for farmers, young people and children, publication of books, launching web
sites, and organising festivals and PR campaigns.
The purpose of the Environmental Fund was to increase engagement of NGOs in the
environmental decision-making processes. There is no evidence of the contribution of the
sub-projects to the achievement of the purpose. All of the end beneficiaries, who returned
the questionnaire, report on awareness raising and on strengthened capacity. They do not
mention any active participation in the decision-making process.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Hungary had no bilateral partnerships.
116
In Hungary 64 sub-projects were completed (27% of all sub-projects). Nine of the end beneficiaries (14% of completed
sub-projects and 4% of all sub-projects) filled in the questionnaire.
144 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Latvia
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR 117
 As of November 2008, there were approximately 10,167 registered NGOs, including
associations, foundations, trade unions, open society foundations, sport organisations,
political parties and political organisations. Of these, only 1,000 are certified and have
tax-deductible status. The greatest number of NGOs is registered in Riga - the Riga
region accounts for over 5,000 of these and Liepaja 600. The further the distance from
Riga, the less dense the network of NGOs.
 The number of public benefit organisations, 1,246, shifts slightly from year to year, since
the legal status of public benefit organisations has to be renewed annually by submitting
financial and narrative reports to the Public Benefit Commission, coordinated by the
Ministry of Finance. Public benefit status may also be removed in cases where
authorities have discovered misuse of funding.
 Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are regulated by the Latvian Constitution, the
1992 Law Concerning Public Organisations and their Associations, and two subsequent
laws on public organisations passed in 2003 and 2004.
 Most NGOs are small groups composed of about two dozen individuals who often lack
basic training in financial, legal, administrative, and public relations skills. There is a
reliance on part-time volunteers who do not have the time or energy to plan and focus on
long-term strategies.
 There have been various middle- and long-term national programmes outlining the duties
of government in the strengthening of civil society. The development of the National
Program for Strengthening Civil Society 2004–2009 has been a good mechanism for
supporting NGOs across the country. The framework of the programme included
earmarked funding for NGO activities and support for regional organisations working in
the fields of civil society and advocacy. However, many ministries have paid only lip
service to cooperation and have not taken any concrete steps to interact with relevant
groups.
 The Latvian government provides funding through its tax policy. Donations to groups
designated as having “public benefit status” are 85 percent tax-deductible. About 1,000
groups received this status in 2008.
 The Ministry of Special Assignment for Social Integration provided subsidies to five
regional NGO resource centres, as well as legal and accountancy consultations.
 The NGO sector has achieved recognition by local municipalities, which more widely
introduced calls for proposals
 The NGO networks, established when Latvia entered the EU in 2004, have started facing
financial difficulties
 Since 2005, Civic Alliance–Latvia (CAL) has served as the NGO umbrella organisation
and has provided information services for NGOs. The goal of CAL is to advocate on
behalf of the NGO sector as well as activating civil society through information, education
and cooperation.
 The Special Declaration for the Development of Civil Society in Latvia aims to strengthen
the development of civil society and foster dialogue between NGOs and the Parliament.
Work under this Declaration was not seen as being particularly effective up to the end of
2008. The NGO sector had high hopes in the MoU and Special Declaration, both of
which were created to improve the power of NGOs to advocate for their initiatives and
ideas. Unfortunately, the documents have had little effect on the ability of NGOs to
advocate, and the sector must rethink its advocacy tools and methods.
117
Information derived from Juris Dreifelds, contribution on Latvia to Nations in Transit 2009 and USAID 2008 NGO
Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. This material was not used as a comparison for the NGO
fund evaluation but a source of information along with others to inform country profile.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 145
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
In Latvia two NGO Funds were set up. The purpose of the NGO Fund was to provide
financial support for NGO actions in democracy and civil society development fields, to
strengthen capacity of NGOs and to support NGO initiated sub-projects supporting priorities
in EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The purpose of the Society Integration NGO
Fund was to create favourable social, cultural and information conditions for ethnic minorities
living in Latvia. The NGO Funds strengthened civil society in Latvia and supported activities
within the following measures:
NGO Fund: Society Integration NGO Fund:
- NGO activity support measure (sub- - Integration of minorities (sub-sector
sector Regional policy) democracy, human rights,
- NGO capacity strengthening measure discrimination)
(sub-sector capacity building)
- NGO project measure (sub-sector
sustainable development)
Under the NGO Fund four open calls were launched, one each year between 2007 and
2010. Under all the open calls, the supported thematic areas were aligned with the NGO
Funds‟ set up. The financial range of the eligible sub-projects was set as is shown in the
table below:
Fund – measure – year Minimum Maximum Minimal Maximum
value value duration duration
NGO Fund – NGO activity support measure – 2007 €800 per €2000 1 year 3.2 years
month Per month
NGO Fund – NGO activity support measure – 2008 €9,600 €24,000
NGO Fund – NGO activity support measure – 2009 €9,600 €24,000
NGO Fund – NGO activity support measure – 2010 €11,200 €28,000
NGO Fund – NGO capacity strengthening €5,000 €30,000 No limit 1.5 year
NGO Fund – NGO project measure €8,000 €100,000 No limit 2 years
Society Integration NGO Fund No limit €30,000 1 year
One sub-project ended in 2007 and another 21 in 2008 and 51 in 2009. 63 sub-projects are
expected to be completed in 2010, and additional 29 in the year 2011.
The Intermediary for both Funds was the Society Integration Foundation, a public institution
established by the law, which operates independently from the government, contracted by
the National Focal Point.
146 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.118
A. LATVIAN NGO FUND
According to the Intermediary, many events and activities have been organised for target
groups in Latvia. Under the Activity Support Measure, 6,000 people were included and
4,750 consultations done. Together with other activities, 25 comments on resolutions / legal
acts were provided, 115 proposals for different state institutions sent and other activities
(workshops, lobbying, and participation in activities of other organisations) have been
implemented. Project Measures included 1,500 youth and children, 24 women in prison, 20
representatives of municipalities and 28 disabled. They participated in information and
118
In Latvia 73 sub-projects completed so far (44% of all sub-projects). 9 of the end beneficiaries (12% of completed sub-
projects and 5,4% of all sub-projects) filled in the questionnaire.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 147
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
educational meetings. NGOs supported under this Measure were involved in policy making
process at municipal and state level.
Capacity strengthening was an important feature
of the Latvian NGO Fund. NGOs obtained over Example of successful sub-project
170 new member and over 500 persons have Project “Community involvement in monitoring
of important Bird Areas” was an idea that was
been trained in different areas (on themes of developed previously, but only found support
NGOs, on tax system, accounting, sub-project under the NGO Fund. In Latvia, all the
development and management, public Important Bird Areas (IBA) are included in the
procurement, languages, voluntary work and list of specially protected areas, however in
work with socially excluded groups. 15 practice in many of them illegal actions are
carried out. Beneficiary therefore gathered a
organisations improved / developed their group of 40 people, who were trained to
websites, three developed their strategy, and 28 become IBA supervisors. They prepared voice
bought equipment. recordings. The publically most recognised
element of the sub-project is the developed
database, of which part is publically available.
Fifteen end beneficiaries of the Latvian NGO In September 2009, it contained 10,000 reports
Fund replied to the question, how well they on different species of birds.
achieved objectives. Around 27% of them
believed they were very successful, 67% thought that they were successful and another 7%
thought that they were only relatively successful.
B. LATVIAN SOCIETY INTEGRATION FUND
Under the Society Integration Fund, promotion of tolerance, solidarity and intercultural
dialogue has been tackled. Promotion has been achieved through festivals, films, thematic
days and other awareness raising campaigns. Results included different informative
material (such as a DVD with information about the Liiv language and community), strategies
(e.g. Strategy of Slavic association Uzori) and organisations with strengthened capacity, like
Moldavian Culture Centre “Dačija”, which was supported with material and technical
equipment. End beneficiaries tackled the problems of ethnic minorities through capacity
building of minority organisations and awareness raising campaigns. As the promotion of
understanding is achieved through awareness raising and creating favourable conditions for
ethnic minorities to gather freely, the evidence suggests that it is likely that the Fund‟s
purpose will be met.
Only two end beneficiaries of the Latvian Society Integration Fund replied to the question,
how well they had achieved the objectives. One of them believed that it was very successful
and the other that it was successful.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
There are 8 bilateral partnerships of which only 4 sub-projects have partners in Norway. The
Intermediary has no involvement and the Norwegian Embassy did not take an active role in
creating bilateral partnerships between NGOs. The end beneficiary Focus Group noted that
the NGOs in Nordic countries have little interest in Baltic States and the proposed sub-
projects are not financially attractive. This makes it difficult to find new partners for the sub-
projects. Cooperation is mainly done with long-term partners.
Of the completed sub-projects, an analysis was made on achievements of several indicators;
although no official international partners, trans-nationality was observed through activities:
 Capacity building: 28 sub-projects, 7 had activities with international experts /
international organisation
 Project measure: 11 sub-projects – 4 with international ties
 NGO activity support: 20 (participation at international events, study visits)
148 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Lithuania
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR 119
 The exact number of Lithuanian NGOs is difficult to determine, as statistics are
unreliable. Officially, more than 15,000 NGOs exist in the country. However, the number
is constantly changing and has a tendency to be inflated. New organisations are added,
but defunct organisations are not removed from the registry.
 Lack of conceptual clarity has been a serious obstacle in the sector's development.
Currently, an organisation that has public benefit status is eligible to receive charitable
contributions from the 2 percent tax mechanism. One of the sector‟s primary issues is to
narrow the circle of organisations that qualify for this status. Clearly defining the legal
terms surrounding each type of organisation is a crucial step.
 Despite years of receiving foreign donor support, the sector has not fully consolidated its
infrastructure gains and improvements in organisational capacity, and this has left the
sector unprepared for donors‟ departure. At the same time, the public sector did not
develop an awareness of its responsibility for the viability of the NGO sector.
 The lack of organisational capacity keeps NGOs from improving the quality of their work,
a necessary condition for broadening their constituencies and ensuring wider public
support. NGOs need not only new sources of organisational support, but also inspiration.
The government is also concerned about the issue of adequate NGO staffing.
 NGOs and the government have prepared the National Programme for Encouraging
Youth Volunteering, which earmarks funds for sustaining the organisational capacities of
participating NGOs. NGOs have been developing a more systematic approach to
volunteer management, but in general, NGOs do not actively recruit volunteers. The use
of long-term volunteers is complicated by tax and legal issues. Many NGOs have
consciously decided not to recruit volunteers because they have insufficient staff to
manage them, and because they fear that they cannot provide adequate insurance. The
percentage of the population that volunteers remains stable at 12 percent (2008).
 Municipal funding for NGOs has grown; however, this does not always serve to
strengthen the NGO sector. Local authorities, particularly outside bigger cities, give
support according to political favouritism. In some regions, individuals have created new
community organisations that were politically acceptable to the authorities in order to
access municipal funds, denying funding opportunities to organisations led by people
with political views different from the majority on municipal councils.
 In general, NGO entrepreneurship is still very weak. NGOs lack marketing skills in
competing for contracts. They do not manage to make the case for providing a specific
service or explain why serving a particular clientele is a public benefit. NGOs do not
undertake provision of services other than those funded by the government or local
authorities. As they are increasingly perceived as government service providers, it
becomes more difficult for NGOs to approach traditional donors. The legal regulation of
services remains unfavourable for NGOs. NGOs are frequently excluded from
competitions for service provision because of requirements set by contracting agencies.
Such requirements do not necessarily mean to exclude NGOs, but arise from a lack of
understanding of how they will impact on NGOs.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up with the purpose to strengthen NGOs in Lithuania by developing
their institutional capacity. The NGO Fund strengthened civil society in Lithuania and
supported activities within the following thematic areas:
- Sustainable development
- Strengthening of democracy and civil society
119
Information derived from Aneta Piasecka‟s contribution on Lithuania to Nations in Transit 2009 and USAID 2008 NGO
Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 149
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
One open call was launched in 2008. The financial range of the sub-projects eligible for
application ranged from €10,000 to €50,000 for small sub-projects and between €50,001
and €100,000 for large sub-projects.
Maximum duration of the sub-projects for co-financing was set at 24 months. All of the 106
sub-projects are expected to be completed in 2010.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund for Lithuania was the Ministry of Finance of the Republic
of Lithuania which was also the Focal Point.
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.
LITHUANIA NGO FUND
In Lithuania no sub-projects have so far been completed. Under both of the sub-sectors,
end beneficiaries have reported strengthened capacity. Workshops and training on social
services, environmental protection and sustainable development, web services, cultural
heritage and craftwork, drug issues, diabetes and administrative capacity building have been
implemented. In addition, knowledge transfer has been achieved through establishment of
internet-based databases, a knowledge centre for volunteers, studies and methodological
material on drug abuse, establishment of a virtual knowledge centre for social educators and
development of web pages. The Intermediary supports the statement that the most
important result of the Lithuanian NGO Fund was strengthening of NGO capacity.
Under democracy, human rights and discrimination, a new web page promoting charity and
public involvement and support to children with diabetes has been established to assure
social inclusion of vulnerable groups. Environmental sub-projects focused on awareness
raising with seminars, workshops, excursions and environmental festivals.
150 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Of the 20 respondents who returned the questionnaire, 35% believed they were very
successful in reaching their objective, another 40% believed they were successful, and a
quarter thought that they were relatively successful.
The NGO sector has been strengthened and thus purpose of the NGO Fund was partly
achieved. It is not possible to measure a contribution to further development of the NGO
sector in Lithuania.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
There are eight bilateral Partnerships off which only four sub-projects have partners in
Norway. The Intermediary has no involvement, and the Norwegian Embassy did not take an
active role in creating bilateral partnerships between NGOs. The end beneficiary Focus
Group noted that the NGOs in Nordic countries had little interest in Baltic States, and the
proposed sub-projects were not financially attractive. This makes it difficult to find new
partners for sub-projects. Cooperation is mainly done with long-term partners.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 151
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Poland
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 Around 120,000 third sector organisations are registered, including community and grass
roots organisations. There is good regional balance, with 14% registered in region
around Warsaw, rest distributed across the country, small towns and rural areas (27%),
towns with up to 50,000 inhabitants (14%), cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants
(19%), voivodeship capitals (28%) and Warsaw (12%). However, organisations that
operate in cities are larger, richer and work on a larger scale. The lack of necessity to de-
register non-functioning NGOs remains a problem and makes national registry data
unreliable.
 NGOs were first defined legally in April 24, 2003, when the Public Benefit and Volunteer
Work Act came into effect. The Act adopts a broad definition of NGOs.
 A problem connected with registration is that, according to law, an association must be
established by at least fifteen people. Many experts believed this number is too high,
especially since it is much higher than in many Western European countries. Setting up
a foundation does not require any members and the minimum capital required is very
low. This increases the number of foundations with no capital. Some people find others
who agree to support the establishment of an association provided they will not have to
do anything in the future, creating masses of inactive members.
 The public administration, having heard numerous opinions from NGO sector activists,
has admitted that the Act on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteer Work imposes
unnecessarily complicated bureaucratic requirements. Work to amend the law is in
progress.
 20-30% of citizens claim they belong to an NGO; 18.3% of adult Poles claimed they had
dedicated volunteer time to NGOs, groups, associations, or social or religious
movements during 2004.
 There are at least 200 different regional and branch federations of NGOs in Poland. In
the end of 2003, the Federation of Polish Non-Governmental Organisations (OFOP) was
created. 34% of organisations are members of different kinds of branch, regional or
nationwide federations, agreements and unions.
 The infrastructure of NGOs has slightly improved. The most noticeable improvement has
been in the growth of support centres created within the framework of EU-funded
projects. These centres provide training, often free of charge, to NGOs, but the quality of
training is not always high. Many NGOs lacking training expertise obtained funding to
conduct training. Also, many commercial firms discovered that they could make profits
organising training for NGOs, sometimes with the support of EU funds.
 Examples of cooperation between different sub-sectors and cross-sectorally are still rare.
 Many local NGOs are vitally dependent on local government decisions to grant subsidies
or premises. As a consequence, they are often entangled in silent networks of
dependencies, that make it hard for them to maintain an independent position, and gives
rise to clientalism. Considering this risk, the formation and activity of various alliances
between organisations are especially important, for they are in better and safer position
to defend the interests of NGOs and to speak for them.
 Protests by the NGO sector have stopped attempts to increase legal control over NGOs.
However, many NGOs do not abide by the reporting requirements.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
In Poland three NGO Funds were set up – Democracy and Civil Society NGO Fund,
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development NGO Fund and Equal Opportunities
and Social Integration NGO Fund. The purpose of the Democracy and Civil Society NGO
Fund was to support NGOs aiming to increase knowledge of and respect for rule of law,
developing citizenship skills and citizens‟ rights and responsibilities and gender equality.
152 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The purpose of the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development NGO Fund was
to support NGOs aiming to contribute to building public understanding at local and regional
levels, in both urban and rural settings, of the need for environmental sustainability and
generating opportunities for citizen action and involvement. The Purpose of the NGO Fund
Equal Opportunities and Social Integration was to support NGOs aiming to resolve pressing
social problems faced by local communities. The Funds strengthened civil society in Poland
and supported activities within the following thematic areas:
Democracy and Civil Environmental Protection Equal Opportunities and
Society NGO Fund: and Sustainable Social Integration NGO
Development NGO Fund: Fund:
- Respect of Principles of - Environmental protection - Inclusion of
democracy - Sustainable development disadvantaged groups
- Improving the knowledge - mainstream gender
of civil society and equality
democratic processes - Social / family issues
- Expanding institutional - European cultural
capabilities of NGOs and heritage
developing NGO sector
Under the Fund Democracy and Civil Liberties, 5 open calls were launched between 2007
and 2009. Under each of the remaining two funds, 3 open calls were launched between
2007 and 2009.
The financial range of the sub-projects eligible for applications under all the funds was
between €5,000 and €250,000. Democracy and Civil Society NGO Fund had additional
limitations set: €5,000 - €15,000 for micro grants, €5,000 – €50,000 for small grants, €50,001
– €150,000 for medium grants and between €150,001 and €250,000 for large grants. While
the duration of the sub-project co-financed under Environmental and Sustainable
Development Fund was not limited, Democracy and Civil Society NGO Fund had set
maximum durations of the sub-projects. Micro and small sub-projects could last 12 months
at most, medium sized sub-projects 18 months and large sized sub-projects, 24 months.
One sub-project ended in 2007 and another 159 in 2008. In 2009 169 sub-projects ended,
218 sub-projects are expected to be completed in the year 2010, and 10 sub-projects are
expected to be completed in 2011.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund Democracy and Civil Society for Poland was the
Co-operation Fund Foundation, established by the Polish government in 1990 as a
specialized unit, financed from various sources of foreign aid to Poland. The Intermediary
for the NGO Fund Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development and NGO Fund
for Equal Opportunities and Social Integration was ECORYS Polska Sp. z.o.o., in a
consortium with Kommunalkredit Public Consulting GmbH, which is a private limited
corporation. All Intermediaries were contracted by the National Focal Point – the Ministry of
Regional Development, Department for Aid Programmes and TA.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 153
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
154 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.
POLAND 120
The purpose of the Polish NGO Funds was to support NGOs in the respective thematic area
– increase knowledge, contribute to public understanding at local and regional level, and
resolve social problems in local communities. Through capacity strengthening, NGOs were
supported, and increased public awareness was achieved. The supported sub-projects
have contributed to the solution of local problems. The purpose can therefore said to be
achieved, even though it is spread across the whole territory of the country and across many
different thematic areas.
A. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SOCI AL INTEGRATION
Under Equal Opportunities and Social Integration NGO Fund, increased awareness of the
population and strengthened capacity of target groups and of the NGOs can be seen.
Increased awareness of the population is the main result reported under the sub-sector
“European cultural heritage”. An increased level of knowledge on culture and history was for
example achieved through open meetings on the culture of the renaissance organised in
seven historic buildings, and attended by 2,700 people. Publication of books, such as
“Memoirs” have also increased knowledge awareness. Capacity has been strengthened
through purchase of different equipment (for example high quality rehabilitation equipment),
reconstruction and extension of the building of existing centres, establishment of new
centres) and training of staff.
Social inclusion of excluded groups was an important result under Equal Opportunities and
Social Integration Fund. Support to rehabilitation and vocational activation was achieved.
21 end beneficiaries (17%) responded to the question How successful do you think you were
in reaching objectives. About 24% thought that they were very successful and another 67%
believed that they were successful. Only two respondents reported moderate success.
B. ENVI RONMENTAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVEL OPM ENT
NGO FUND
Increased awareness of the population was achieved under the Environmental Protection
and Sustainable Development NGO Fund. Campaigns promoting the Baltic Sea, creation of
a forum for central and local administration, business, science, media and NGOs for the
promotion of environmental protection and certification for educational institutions, which
promote sustainable development, are just some of the results aiming to raise awareness.
Sub-projects tackled the problem of green-house gas emissions and development and
promoted programmes for environmentally friendlier transport systems (i.e. cycling).
Environmentally friendly tourism paths and trails have been created.
End beneficiaries were asked how successful they thought that they were in reaching their
objectives: 25 of them (21%) answered this question; 28% answered that they believed they
were very successful in reaching or surpassing their set objectives. The majority (68%)
120
In Poland, 329 sub-projects were completed (59% of all sub-projects). 70 of the end beneficiaries (21% of completed sub-
projects and 12% of all sub-projects) filled in the questionnaire.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 155
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
thought that they were successful and only one respondent expressed moderate success in
reaching its objective.
C. DEMOCRACY AND CI VIL SOCI ETY FUND
The most often reported result under the
Box 11. Sub-projects in Poland
Democracy and Civil Society NGO Fund 1). Under the project "Enhancement of access to
was strengthened capacity. Members of civic counselling in Stargard District" more than
NGOs have been trained, equipment 1900 individual counselling services were delivered
improved, and web sites developed,121 to the residents of the Stargard district (1500
sources of information have increased by envisaged initially). Free access to legal and social
counselling helped to activate local society and
65% with over 1000 published items, and raised their awareness of the rights to which they
from April 2008, the Marshal‟s Office of are entitled. Sub-project "Be a Small Witness.
Mazovia has begun to organise Interdisciplinary Protection of Children's Rights in
consultations with NGOs on cooperation Criminal Procedures" was the development of
standards of interrogation rooms form children in
with the third sector. co-operation with inter alia the Ministry of Justice
as well as the commencement of the process of
64 end beneficiaries of the Democracy and certification of the rooms (underway). The number
of supporters of the sub-project increased gradually
Civil Society Fund (20%) replied to the during its implementation (This is also an example
question “how successful do you think you of systemic changes in the area of protection of
were in achieving objectives?” One quarter children - victims of crimes and – so far being of
of them believed they were very successful interest mainly of NGOs. Also books and
and 65% that they were successful. Only promotion campaigns have been published and
launched.
9% stated that they were moderately
2). Centrum promocy Prawnej im. Haliny Nieć
successful. developed a sub-project “Countering discrimination
and xenophobia towards refugees and
Bilateral relations between the marginalised migrants in Poland”. It constituted an
donors and the beneficiaries important contribution to broader efforts to improve
the situation of foreigners and refugees in Poland
and to combat discrimination, racism and
There are a large number of partnerships xenophobia. The end beneficiary combined
with 10-12% of the NGO grants linked to different forms of actions – legal aid, research and
partnership. There is good co-operation promotion campaigns. The sub-project positively
between the Norwegian Embassy and influenced the potential of the centre, which
expanded its competences and increased its
NHC where there is a dedicated member experience in areas such as public campaigns,
of staff. The Norwegian Embassy promotion and contacts with the media.
organised a large NGO Fund launching
conference in Poland where many Norwegian NGOs were present with the purpose of
potential match making with Polish NGOs. The Norwegian Embassy appreciated that the
value added of the partnership had to be clearly stipulated in the sub-project (they prevented
partnerships based only on paper).
Under the Funds an extra (10) points were given if applicants included an international
partner in the sub-project, but only on condition that there was a clear added value of
international partner involved. „International‟ included (EU + EFTA) or other neighbouring
countries of Poland (Russia, Belarus or Ukraine); Norwegian partners were not specially
treated.
The end beneficiaries are more and more aware of the benefits of bilateral co-operation for
their initiatives. The transfer of good practices was appreciated by the applicants but some
end beneficiaries reported on difficulties in identifying and obtaining commitment to
co-operation from a bilateral partner at the application stage. The bilateral partners are often
invited to help applicants to increase their chance of a grant award, yet without getting to
know the bilateral partner beforehand, the real value of partnerships is questionable. Some
121
More than 30 organisations cooperated on the interactive platform of communication and exchange of information
www.hgo.pl), and the portal www.administracja.ngo.pl promoted cooperation with the NGO sector.
156 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
participants would therefore appreciate a possibility of financing „preparatory visits‟ to
discuss the scope of co-operation with the bilateral partner before preparation of a final
application (which could result in an obligatory preparation of a sub-project application).
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 157
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Portugal
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 There were 160 development NGOs registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -
Portuguese Institute for Development Assistance (IPAD) in March 2009. There were 167
Environmental NGOs registered with the Ministry for Environment and Territorial
Planning – Portuguese Agency for Environment in July 2009.
 There is no official data, much less a centralised register for all civil society organisations
(non-profit making) and foundations, even if legally constituted. In Portugal, this
collection of organisations is generally known as the “non-profit sector” or the “social
and/or solidarity economy.” This is understood to include associations, foundations,
mutualist associations, NGOs, and cooperatives.
 Development NGOs (DNGO): 57% in the capital city - 43% in the regions,
Environmental NGOs: (ENGO) 79% in the capital city - 21% in the regions.
 The Portuguese Civil Code defines three types of organisations as being pessoas
colectivas (corporations): associations, foundations and companies, the latter
constituting the private for-profit sector, and the former (associations and foundations)
constituting the private non-profit sector. Foundations must be public-serving, which
means that private interest foundations are not permitted by law. Therefore, NGOs must
be associations or foundations.
 Each citizen can donate 0,5% of their personal taxes to public benefit organisations
(PBO – the government must recognise the organisation as acting in the public interest)
of their choice. DNGOs and ENGOs have automatically the same tax exemption as
PBOs and are also VAT exempted.
 In the 1990‟s, Portugal had the lowest participation in NGOs and civic associations in the
EU. This tendency has remained. The percentage of volunteers in non-profit
organisations is 29%. The legal basis for volunteering was established in 1998, where
the State recognised voluntary work as an expression of a free, active and a solidarity
citizenship which promotes and ensures its autonomy and pluralism.
 Most of the activities of non-profit organisations (48%) are based on social services and
are geographically widespread. Civil society organisations provide services in a variety
of fields and cover the gap in services that are not provided by the state. These
organisations are quite successful in tracking needs and reaching the most needed,
particularly from an assistance perspective.
 The umbrella body for DNGOs – Portuguese Platform for DNGOs has 51 members.
ENGOs do not have an umbrella organisation.
 NGOs seldom work as watchdogs. DNGOs are not influential in the strategies for
development cooperation and, according to DAC,122 they also “play a marginal role in
Portuguese development co-operation despite recent steps to involve them more”.
Platform of Portuguese NGOs does have an AIDWATCH group, who monitors aid
efficiency.
 NGOs are very dependent on the State and since there is lack of resources and funding,
advocacy is seldom done in a concerted and formal way, lacking research, credibility and
expertise. However, the Portuguese Institute for Development Assistance has developed
a National Strategy for Education for Development (recently approved) which mentions
and underlines the importance of advocacy work of NGOs.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
Two NGO Funds were set up – NGO Fund Citizenship and Human Rights and National
Environmental NGO Fund. The purpose of the NGO Fund Citizenship and Human Rights
was to provide institutional capacity building support to NGOs working in the area of non
122
2006 - DAC Peer Review: Main Findings and Recommendations.
158 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
discrimination, gender equality and youth, aiming to strengthen citizens‟ participation skills
and to empower vulnerable social groups. The purpose of the National Environmental NGO
Fund was to reinforce the capabilities of the NGOs and ensure their active participation in
the decision-making process. Funds strengthened civil society in Portugal and supported
activities within the following sub-areas:
NGO Fund Citizenship and Human National Environmental NGO Fund:
Rights:
- Protection of Human rights and - Protection of the environment,
strengthening of Citizenship including the human environment,
- Enhancing the skills of youngsters in through, inter alia, reduction of
social responsibility (namely sexual pollution and promotion of renewable
and reproductive health, parental energies
responsibility, gender stereotypes and - Promotion of sustainable
non discrimination, multiculturalism development, through improved
and healthy friendships) and resource use and management
promoting their civic and cultural
participation in the community
- Promoting the entrepreneurship and
employment opportunities of
individuals belonging to especially
vulnerable social groups.
Under each of the funds, one open call was launched in 2008. The financial range of the
sub-projects under NGO Fund Citizenship and Human Rights was set between €40,000 and
€250,000, while it was set between €25,000 and €75,000 under the National Environmental
NGO Fund. Under both of the Funds, the maximum duration of sub-projects was 24 months.
The minimum duration of sub-projects was defined only under the NGO Fund Citizenship
and Human Rights and it was set at 12 months.
26 of the sub-projects are expected to be completed in 2010 and another 4 in 2011.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund Citizenship and Human Rights was the Commission for
Citizenship and Gender Equality (Commissão para a Cidadania e Igualdade de Género),
which is a public entity (Governmental body – Initially directly responsible to the Council of
Ministers, and from October 2009 directly responsible to the Secretary of State of Equality,
Ministry of Presidency). The Intermediary for the National Environmental NGO Fund was the
Portuguese Agency for Environment (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente), which is a public
entity (Governmental body – directly responsible to the Ministry of Environment and
Territorial Planning). Both of the Intermediaries were contracted by the Portuguese Focal
Point – the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 159
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
None of the sub-projects in Portugal have been completed so far. The only result that the
Intermediary reports is the reinforcement of the capacity of small NGOs through sub-project
implementation. As the purpose of the Portuguese NGO Funds was to improve NGO
capacity, it can be suggested that this is likely to be achieved. However, individual sub-
project results should be reported before drawing a firm conclusion on the achievement of
objectives.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
There are 8 bilateral partnerships. The Intermediary and Norwegian Embassy hosted a
public seminar for Fund launching and promotion of partnerships between Norwegian and
Portuguese NGOs. However, few Norwegian NGOs participated in the seminars. The
Norwegian Embassy considers that it is more difficult to form partnerships amongst NGOs
than in other sectors. Barriers identified by Intermediaries included the size of most of the
Portuguese NGOs and language.
160 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Romania
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 Registered number of NGOs: 61,056 (Ministry of Justice, NGO register in January 2010).
Two thirds are based in the urban areas, 20% of NGOs are based in Bucharest and
another 40% in Central and Western regions. In 2009, 22,000 NGOs submitted a fiscal
balance and are thought to be active. There was an increase of active NGOs of 5,000
from 2004.
 NGOs are not defined as such by the law. They are frequently assimilated with non-
profit organisations and traditionally refer to associations, foundations, federations and
unions. The administrative law on associations and foundations is clear and simple.
Despite some achieved simplifications, there still exists a need to amend tax treatment of
individual contributions, corporate sponsorship and the registry of NGOs at the Ministry
of Justice.
 There is no legislation on advocacy and lobbying in Romania. No legal limitation to the
right to criticise government exists and organisations often do so. However, they are
often ignored or face different problems – e.g. those who were criticised sued the
Romanian Academy Society and Centre for Legal Resources.
 In 2006, the Prime Minister established a Council for Dialogue with Foundations and
Associations under his office. 50 NGO representatives were invited to the structure.
Prime Minister is asking for proposals to make this structure more active and to focus on
strategies to improve the dialogue and consultation between the CSOs and the
Government. However, citizen involvement in the formulation of public policy at the
national or local level is rare.123
 NGOs were a driving force in processes of fulfilling the acquis requirements for
Romania‟s accession into the EU in different areas, such as environment, child
protection, anti-corruption, anti-discrimination, election code, civil code, free access to
public information, etc.
 All CSOs are required to report their financial activities. Information on CSO financial
status is not made available to the general public, but especially CSOs that raise money
in local communities, understand the long-term importance of building trust in local
communities and have begun to show greater openness and transparency. Publishing
achievements and annual report had, however, not become the regular practice for most
CSOs.
 The National NGO Forum has approved a code of ethics for CSOs, but uniform ethical
practices have not yet been developed.
 There is a distinction between “direct” and “indirect” business activity. Under direct
“business” activity, NGOs may sell products or services related to their non-profit
purpose without setting up a company. “Indirect” business activity is done through a
company. Profit in the latter case should be reinvested in the company or must be used
to fulfil the NGO‟s purpose. NGOs are also able to compete for government contracts
and procurements at local and central level.
 2% of income / profit tax can be redirected to NGOs. Sponsorships and donations are
exempt from taxation. Businesses may deduct up to 3% of their total income, but not
more than 20% of their total taxes due, for donations to NGOs. To ensure financial
sustainability of NGOs, the new Act was adopted in 2005 and also included the
possibility for individual tax payers to allocate 2% of their income tax to the NGOs. In
2009, 17% of Romanians allocated the 2% to NGOs, which amounted to 26 million €.
52% of citizens made a donation to the church and only 19% to a NGO.
 Subsidies are the main form of support. The Act from 2005 holds public authorities and
NGOs accountable for using the public funds.
123
Study by the Resource Centre for Citizen Participation.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 161
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 In NGOs there is a high degree of overlapping between executives‟ roles and decision
roles. However, they are guided by democratic proposals.124
 Corrupt behaviour in NGOs is occasional.
 Most CSOs are properly equipped (access to internet, website, computer, etc.), however
there are grass root organisations, which are lacking infrastructure.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up, with the purpose to strengthen civil society in Romania by
supporting sub-projects within thematic areas protection of human rights, anti-discrimination
and social inclusion, support to children and youth with specific problems, social services,
environment and conservation of cultural heritage.
- Social services
- Environment
- Conservation of cultural heritage
The financial range of the small grant schemes was between €5,000 and €15,000. For sub-
projects under all grant schemes managed by the operator, the maximum value was
€75,000, except for the sub-projects, which have regional scope and include NGOs from at
least 3 different counties. In the latter case, the maximum amount is €125,000. The minimum
sub-project amount under grant schemes was not set. Minimum duration of the sub-projects
was not set, while small sub-projects could last 12 months at most. Other sub-projects from
the grant could last up to 22 months, if co-financed under 1st open call and 12 months, if co-
financed under the second open call.
All the sub-projects except one will end in 2010. The Intermediary was the Civil Society
Development Foundation (CSDF), an NGO, and it was contracted directly by the FMO.
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects
rather than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further
evaluation is needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment
of the actual progress that has been made towards both specific country, and wider
objectives, of the NGO Funds.125
124
CIVICUS report on Romania.
125
One sub-project is completed so far in Romania (2%). The end beneficiary of this sub-project returned the questionnaire.
162 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
The sub-projects aim at achieving increased public awareness and delivering policies and
programme implementation and expansion to other areas. It is too early to assess the
results achieved under the NGO Fund. Although some measures aimed at strengthening
capacity, the Intermediary does not believe that this will be totally achieved during the
current programming period. Although some promoters have a previous record in
implementing grant projects, there is still much to be done in institutional development
especially in coping with the current donor environment (e.g. structural instruments,
withdrawal of traditional donors or necessity to diversify sources of funding to ensure the
sustainability). Following the same rationale, the institutional development is even more
needed to be addressed specifically in case of small organisations or recently established
ones.
It is too early to judge whether the purpose of the NGO Fund, to strengthen civil society in
Romania in the thematic areas tackled by the NGO Fund, is likely to be achieved.
Bilateral relations bet ween the donors and the beneficiari es
The Norwegian Embassy has received and followed up on two letters of complaint from
unsuccessful grant applicants and has sought to assess potential issues (administrative
compliance rules were applied strictly in the first call for applications, leading to the rejection
of bilateral sub-projects that did not meet criteria related to the submission of statutory
documents for Norwegian partners; such documents are, however, not mandatory according
to Norwegian law). The Embassy recommendations in this and other regards were applied in
the revised application guidelines for the second call for applications.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 163
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Slovak Republic
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 31.698 registered NGOs in 2008.
 In 2006 the role of the state has been greatly strengthened and the relationship between
the state and NGOs has deteriorated, although NGOs remain present and included in
the public discourse.
 The tax system allows for personal 2% of taxes to be donated to any registered NGPO,
but recent legislation will gradually reduce this contribution to 0.5%. There are no tax
deductions for private companies that wish to donate to NGOs. As a result, big
corporations have established their own NGOs
 There is no Act on voluntary work.
 Regional differences within Slovakia lead to uneven organisational capacity. Eastern
Slovakia, which is quite rural, is the most disadvantaged. The urban/rural imbalance
reflects the considerable differences between national NGOs and smaller, local NGOs.
Large NGOs have better access to financial resources, such as corporate resources, EU
Structural Funds, or foreign resources. Locally operating NGOs cooperate mainly with
local companies and primarily use domestic resources. Their sub-projects are often local
in nature and solve the problems of a given area or region.
 No central or federation bodies were created, neither a national body. Some natural
coalitions were created when attempts were made to change the legislation, e.g. ad hoc
coalition the Initiative for the Freedom of Association or long-term partnerships where
thirty organisations that came together to fight against discrimination. The previous
mechanism of the Gremium has been discontinued; this mechanism created alliances at
local, regional and national levels. NGOs do associate in platforms; the most active
platforms are Ekofórum, Sociofórum and Platform of Non-governmental Development
Organisations.
 One of the tools by which NGOs can defend their interests in the state administration is
the Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Non-governmental Non-profit
Organisations. It is an advisory body of the government, consisting of government and
NGO representatives. This body, however, is not very effective due to the low frequency
of meetings and absence of key people.
 Voices from within the NGO sector are also calling attention to the individualism, the
absence of cooperation, and mistrust among NGOs. The situation in the sector is
marked by legal and financial uncertainty and the absence of the use of cooperation
mechanisms between the government and NGOs.
 There have been some discouraging set-backs recently in Slovakia:
o recent efforts to centralize state power,
o limitation of control mechanisms,
o attempts to cancel the 2 percent income tax donation both for legal entities and
individuals,
o efforts to amend the Act on Free Access to Information,
o proposed adoption of the controversial Law on Associations, which proposed strict
new regulations - NGOs would only be allowed to develop the activities of their
members, as opposed to serving the larger population, would be prohibited from
carrying out self-financing activities, would have to use double-entry bookkeeping
and pay for an audit report. However, NGOs organised protests that led the
government to halt this initiative.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
Three NGO Funds were set up – Human rights NGO Fund, Social inclusion NGO Fund and
Sustainable development NGO Fund. Funds strengthened civil society in Slovak Republic
and supported activities within the following focus areas:
164 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Human Rights NGO Social Inclusion NGO Sustainable
Fund: Fund: Development NGO
Fund:
- Protection of human - Helping families and - Protection of the
rights children in situation of environment
- Antidiscrimination crisis - Sustainable energy
- Strengthening the - Assisting young - Food safety
judiciary people and older - Environmental
- Strengthening the children education
multicultural - Institutional
environment development of NGOs
supplying social and
community services
for children, youth and
families in danger
Altogether, 7 open calls were launched. 3 were launched under Sustainable Development NGO
Fund, in 2007, and two in 2008. Under each of the remaining two Funds, two open calls were
launched in 2007 and 2008. Sub-projects under all the Funds could last 24 months at most.
Only the Sustainable Development NGO Fund set also the shortest duration for eligible sub-
projects – 12 months. Financial ranges differed. Under Human Rights NGO Fund sub-projects‟
values ranged from €20,000 to €80,000, under Social Inclusion NGO Fund from €30,000 to
€100,000 and under Sustainable Development NGO Fund up to €100,000, while the minimum
value in the latter Fund was not set.
Six sub-projects ended in 2009. The remaining 81 are expected to be completed in 2010.
The Intermediary for the Human Rights NGO was Open Society Foundation; for Social Inclusion
NGO Fund SOCIA – Social Reform Foundation; and for Sustainable Development NGO Fund
Nadacia Ekopolis. All were NGOs and were contracted by the Focal Point.
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 165
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on Example of successful sub-project
outputs of the sampled sub-projects rather than Sub-sector: Sustainable development –
outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited food safety.
snapshot. Further evaluation is needed, after the Centre for the environmental activities
completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer implemented the sub-project “Organic
assessment of the actual progress that has been made Food to schools”. They managed to
towards both specific country, and wider objectives, of eliminate barriers to procurement of bio-
food by school canteens. The website
the NGO Funds.126 www.biodoskol.sk was launched and a
network for suppliers and their potential
A. NGO FUND SOCI AL INCLUSION clients created. During the sub-project,
officially approved recipes for school
Social integration of excluded groups was a commonly canteens were prepared.
reported result. The sub-projects focused specifically
on developing methods for preventing social exclusion, for example, crisis accommodation flats
for those experiencing domestic violence were refurbished and NGO cooperation networks
created. The encouragement of children returning to their families was also included in sub-
projects.
126
In Slovakia 6 sub-projects were completed (7% of all sub-projects). One end beneficiary filled in the questionnaire.
166 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Five (26%) of end beneficiaries of the Social Inclusion NGO Fund replied to the question “How
successful do you think you were in achieving your objectives”. Three of them thought that they
were successful. One believed it was very successful and one that it was moderately
successful.
The purpose of the NGO Fund was to increase the innovation potential of NGOs to provide
protection of children and youth from social exclusion. There is insufficient concrete evidence
that NGOs have increased their innovation potential, so it is not possible to say at this time
whether the objective will be achieved.
B. NGO FUND HUM AN RIGHTS
Different results have been achieved under the Human Rights NGO Fund. Initiation of legal
changes has been delivered and tolerance to minorities stimulated through public-awareness
activities. NGOs also offered legal advice and issued an anti-corruption manual.
Five (about 15%) end beneficiaries offered an answer on how they thought that they achieved
their results. Three thought that they were very successful and two that they were successful.
The purpose of the Fund was to improve the ability of disadvantaged groups to enjoy their
rights. Improvement of abilities of disadvantaged groups was reported, but it would need further
evidence to conclude conclusively that the purpose was achieved.
C. NGO FUND SUSTAINABLE DEVELO PMENT
Common results of the Sustainable Development NGO Fund mainly include increased public
awareness on environmental issues and sustainable development, and strengthened capacity
of NGOs. Awareness of the population was raised particularly through educational activities. In
addition, a network of suppliers and schools was established, legal changes were initiated and a
feasibility study on the supply of renewable energy sources for energy production was prepared.
Ten end beneficiaries (29%) responded to a question about achievement of results, of which
70% believed that they were successful. Two thought that they were very successful in
reaching the set objectives, and one reported moderate fulfilment of results.
The purpose of the Fund was to improving the capacity of Slovak NGOs to enter public
discussions. As strengthened capacity was reported, it is likely that the purpose of the NGO
Fund Sustainable Development will be achieved.
Extreme application of government regulations has led t o major problems
The management of the Fund, as well as for the whole EEA and Norway Grants was set up
from scratch and therefore its establishment was a rather lengthy and painful process. Although
the donor‟s initial intention was to set up a user friendly and non bureaucratic system, the FP's
and PA‟s understanding of the FMO requirements, and the local perception and interpretation of
the legal framework, introduced a system which has proved to be time and resource demanding
for the Intermediaries and the NGO end beneficiaries.
As with all countries, the funding comes into the state budget, but unlike many other countries it
is not then treated separately as funding from a foreign donor - setting up for example a ring-
fenced National Fund in Euros to deal with this and other Funds. The PA (in the Ministry of
Finance) has rich experience of dealing with foreign assistance in a positive way allowing
flexibility and less onerous regimes, but this experience and precedents did not seem to be
used. In March 2007, the Slovak government made a decision to harmonise procedures for all
financial mechanisms, which has resulted in the obligation to apply the same mechanisms for
NGO Funds as for EU Structural Funds.
In addition, because of the lack of clarity in the FMO rules, what the NFP require of the
Intermediaries in terms of financial accountability and checking, they felt was a requirement of
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 167
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
the FMO. The contract between FMO and NFP states that all expenses must be certified,
therefore the NFP insist on detailed control of every single Intermediary management expense,
a control that is replicated by the PA for all PIRs and a selection of sub-projects. Thus if an
Intermediary wishes to post a letter under the Fund, both the FP and the PA need to see a copy
of the letter and a certificate of posting and a certificate of expenditure. (So if 20 letters are sent
out, the same bank statement has to be copied 20 times because each has to be accompanied
by the copy of the bank statement separately.) This means that the Intermediaries and
sometimes end beneficiaries often do not claim legitimate expenses as they are not worth the
amount of time involved. Thus there are at least three levels of detailed financial control - at the
level of the Intermediary, the level of the FP and at the level of the PA. As a recent audit from
Norway has identified, there are now three different detailed checks taking place on all
Intermediary management invoices, payments and financial records, and all documentation for
some PIRs,127 which are selected for an the spot certification, which is costly and inappropriate.
The NFP claims that so far nobody has told them officially that the administration is too
demanding but a 2008 evaluation as well as the 2009 monitoring report clearly stated the
problems: “Prevailing feeling is that the rules of the program are excessively detailed and
complicated and could be simplified. Some Intermediaries indicated that there is low trust
among stakeholders and focus is given more on procedures than substance......Specialized
non-hierarchical task forces consisting of selected, experienced individuals from NFP, PA and
Intermediaries could be created to improve the system. More emphasis should be put on
simplifying this grant scheme and diluting complaints about its bureaucratic character. One can
easily imagine that the task forces for: 1) improving procedures, 2) internal communication, 3)
media outreach, could be created at this stage."128
The feeling is that this evaluation has in no way been acted upon and that the Norwegian
government and FMO need to be very firm in the new negotiations. All key stakeholders
acknowledge that the Director of the FP has brought stability and strength to the FP team, but
the system in place in simply inappropriate for an NGO Fund. Some of the Intermediaries
struggle to understand the exact definition of eligible expenses, management costs, etc. In
November 2009, the new Guideline was issued, which some Intermediaries confirmed was of
much better quality than the previous one, but a new format of reporting was required.
Whilst NGOs and the Intermediaries feel that the grant came at a crucial stage for NGOs in
Slovakia, and has prevented some from closing and ending their work on important issues and
with vulnerable groups, the level of unhappiness about the Fund is extreme. For a scheme
designed by the donor to be NGO friendly, flexible and responsive, this is a counter-productive
state of affairs and needs to be changed.
The NFP and PA would like it noted that:
“The national authorities NFP and PA also admit that the implementation system is quite
complex. They also stress that all involved subjects have been partially contributing to
the actual time-demanding system of reporting funds: FMO (system of PIR and
inflexibility), NFP (reporting of 100 % of incurred expenditures), PA (strict rules
concerning pre-financing and certification), and Intermediaries (delays in reporting of
eligible expenditures).
127
The certification is carried out by the Paying Authority based on a risk analysis, i.e. only a sample of incurred expenses is
checked. Moreover, all invoices, payments and financial records on sub-projects level are archived by Intermediary and all
invoices, payments and financial records on management costs of Intermediary are archived at the NFP. Those documents are
not submitted to the PA. The PA approves only reimbursement requests and PIRs which represent maximum 5 % of the whole
documentation submitted by the Intermediaries to the NFP. Only in those cases where, based on risk analysis, a particular PIR
is selected to be certified on the spot is 100 % of the documentation checked by the PA.
128
Implementation Progress of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms in Slovakia Evaluation
report prepared by Pavol DEMES, February 2008.
168 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
On the other hand it should be taken into account that under conditions of meeting
Maastricht criteria and later on strict focusing on public debt (public finance deficit)
Intermediaries/Final Beneficiaries in Slovakia do not need to wait for funds granted from
donor states till the PIR is approved by the FMO. I.e. each and every € which is being
committed as grant from donor state (approximately 9.649mil. EUR for all Intermediaries
which are NGOs) has already been/will be pre-financed from Slovak state budget in
advance in order to make cash flow management at the level of Intermediary/Final
Beneficiary easier. Since the reporting system which has been set up by FMO does not
work flexible, at the level of PA there is visible a time lag between the moment of paying
funds to Intermediaries/Final Beneficiaries and the moment of receiving reimbursed
funds from the FMO. This time lag fluctuates based on analyzes elaborated by the PA
between 5 and 15 months. Furthermore all Intermediaries and Final Beneficiaries except
those who are private entities receive also national co-financing from the state budget
which is equal to 15 % of the non-reimbursable contribution (national co-financing of all
block grants implemented by NGOs is equal to approximately 1.703 mil. EUR) Pre-
financing from state budget (e.g. advance payments) facilitate to higher disbursement to
NGOs in a position of Intermediary/Final Beneficiary. As to block grants implemented by
NGOs the actual amount of pre-financing represents 7.550 mil. €. On the other hand
funds which were reimbursed by the FMO based on approved PIRs to PA are equal to
approximately 3.250 mil. €. Thus, currently only 43.05 % of funds pre-financed by PA to
NGOs being Intermediaries were already reimbursed by the FMO.
It is possible to conclude that a complex system which has been working in the Slovak
Republic is caused by giving state money in advance to Intermediaries/Final
Beneficiaries. Thus, at the national level additional time demand is a bit of cost caused
by the pre-financing system.
Finally, it should be also borne in mind that the Slovak Republic earmarked additional
funds of 0.897 mil. € in order to cover exchange rate differences for Intermediaries –
NGOs who are implementing block grants due to fact that Slovakia joined to the EMU
(European Monetary Union) on 1.1.2009.”
However, the reduction of irregularities at any price is not a good solution, there must be certain
balance. It would be interesting to compare the cost of such a control system and the identified
irregularities, with the less strict system and irregularities occurred. The present situation is not
seen as appropriate and reasonable changes could make the system equally efficient, less
labour intensive in administrative terms, less costly as regards the management and control and
much friendlier to the grant recipients.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
Whilst there are some historical links, bilateral partnerships have not been created for several
reasons: it was not required; the financial conditions did not enable recovery of the partners‟
expenses; and the number of NGOs in Norway is rather limited and there is competition for
partnerships with the other countries. Additionally, some of the areas e.g. social (including the
assistance to the disabled, old people, youth, crises centres, and other social care facilities) in
Norway, is solely dealt with the local government, and no NGOs are engaged in this field. Later
on in the programme it was explained that international cooperation was part of the
management costs but it was not clear at the beginning and therefore not planned.
There are currently 5 bilateral partnerships which function largely through Skype and e mail.
Ekopolis linked with WWW Norway in preparing the bid. Without additional resources it is hard
to envisage how they will develop a great deal since the FP is not supportive of resources
leaving Slovakia for Norway.
All stakeholders would value the chance to building partnerships with NGOs in the beneficiary
states as well as with Norwegian NGOs. End beneficiary noted: “the promotion of
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 169
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
donor/Norwegian NGOs was missing, if partnerships are not feasible at least some presentation
of the sector - best practice examples, common meeting, seminar etc. could be organised”.
170 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Slovenia
THE CIVIL SO CIETY SECTOR
 23,000 registered NGOs (2009).
 Under the Act on Associations, Presidents are held personally liable for operations of the
associations (caused incoming presidents to hesitate to accept the position, especially if
they work on a voluntary basis). This Act created additional work and bureaucracy, which is
a burden particularly on small, grass root organisations, even though the Act could have
positive outcomes
 There is currently no Act on voluntary work (Ministry of Public Administration announced
that the Act on Voluntary Work will be submitted to parliamentary procedure in September
2010); voluntary work is not officially recognised and volunteers do not receive any general
benefits. Some NGOs have developed a Code of Ethics of Volunteerism (with the intention
to motivate the adoption of the Act).
 Umbrella organisations exist, and are used for common interest, information exchanges and
for common sub-projects.
 There is a limited legislative framework for civil dialogue. Government bodies have different
definitions of CSOs and different practices. Many organisations use personal
acquaintances to achieve this type of dialogue. From a regional stakeholder survey: 53% of
respondents believed that state-civil dialogue exists, but is limited; 45% believed it is
moderate.
OVERVIEW OF NGO FUNDS
One NGO Fund was set up with the overall aim to provide additional financial sources for
supporting sub-projects of Slovenian NGOs, which contribute to the achievement of the goals of
the EEA Financial Mechanism and Norwegian Financial Mechanism and thus enhance
solidarity, reduce social and economic disparities in the EEA, foster close international
cooperation and create opportunities for new members of the EEA for their inclusion in the
internal market. The NGO Fund strengthened civil society in Slovenia and supported activities
within the following thematic areas:
 Protection of the environment and sustainable development
 Development of human resources, through promotion of democratic and civil society
processes, including on topics such as non-discrimination, anti-racism, advocacy,
awareness raising, human rights, gender equality, rights-based approaches,
empowerment, monitoring, reporting, etc.
 Cultural heritage conservation
 Health and childcare
Two open calls were launched, in 2008 and in July 2009. Both supported the same thematic
areas and followed the same aim. The financial range of the sub-projects was from €10,000 to
€50,000.
Duration of the sub-projects for co-financing was set at 12 months. The 19 sub-projects, which
were supported under the first call, ended in 2009, while are the 21 sub-projects supported
under the 2nd open call are to be completed in 2010.
The Intermediary for the NGO Fund was the REC, which is a branch office of the Regional
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. It has a special legal status, based on an
inter-governmental co-operative agreement of a multilateral nature to establish an organisation
with a special regional purpose. It was contracted by the Slovenian Focal Point.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 171
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Source: FMO data from 9 February 2010
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
The following country assessment focuses in part on outputs of the sampled sub-projects rather
than outcomes, and should therefore be taken as a limited snapshot. Further evaluation is
needed, after the completion of all sub-projects, to make a firmer assessment of the actual
progress that has been made towards both specific
country, and wider objectives, of the NGO Funds.129 Example of successful sub-project
Sub-sector: Provision and development of
social services
Under the three thematic areas of the NGO Fund,
increased public awareness was reported. Employees Society for help and self-help to homeless
people Kings of the Street implemented a
and the general public have been informed about
sub-project Development of a practical
diseases, research was carried out on risk behaviour model and relevant policies of
and education on hepatitis C in prison for employees resettlement of homeless people in
and convicts, 40 reports have been recorded in the Slovenia. Together with Norwegian
media on inclusion of Roma people and 9,200 copies of partner, they analysed different models of
resettlement of homeless people. They
a publication on reptiles have been distributed, together were changed, so that they met Slovenian
with 7,000 visits to the web site with the same topic. needs and introduced an innovative
Other results are specific to individual sub-projects and approach in the country to solve homeless
cannot be aggregated. problems.
Of the 9 returned questionnaires, 5 (55%) stated that the achievement of objectives was very
successful, three that it was successful and one that it was relatively successful.
As strengthened capacity building is reported only in one sub-project (in the returned
questionnaires), we cannot say that the purpose of the NGO Fund to provide institutional
capacity building support to NGOs was more than partly achieved.
Bilateral relations between the donors and the beneficiari es
15 partnership sub-projects - 40% of the sub-projects (NHC)
The Norwegian Embassy was very engaged and co-operative and has given strong support in
searching partnerships.
129
In Slovenia 19 sub-projects were completed (47% of all sub-projects). Seven of the end beneficiaries (37% of completed sub-
projects and 17% of all sub-projects) filled in the questionnaire.
172 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Activities undertaken to create partnerships:
 Introductory meeting, where representatives of Norwegian NGOs were present (some
Slovenian NGOs found their partners during this meeting);
 Partnership was an assessment criteria (5 points);
 Webpage with the list of Norwegian NGOs (not very successful – some NGOs do not
exist anymore, others do not have English speaking staff, and others do not have the
time for the cooperation);
 Norwegian Helsinki Committee actively searched for appropriate NGOs in Norway, after
the Intermediary submitted the desired profile of the partner organisation.
Partnership co-operation:
 Knowledge and experience exchange (looking at the solutions to the specific problem in
Norway and then adapting this model to Slovenian needs) – Successful: sub-project
dealing with homeless;
 Hosting Norwegian experts in Slovenia;
 Strong partnerships were achieved in the sub-projects from the subsectors Human
resources development and cultural heritage;
 In some areas partnerships are not applicable (e.g. sub-projects for Roma people);
 First step taken, which enabled first contacts; further development depends on the
specific organisation. However, the possibility for further fruitful co-operation was created
and should be supported in the future.
End beneficiaries noted:
 They found partners through their European umbrella organisations;
 High expenses were connected with the Norwegian partners;
 Not all the sub-projects are such that partners from donor countries would bring added
value (e.g. sub-project dealing with Roma – no real place for a partner from Norway,
Iceland or Liechtenstein);
 Values of the sub-projects were quite low to enable real partnership – the travel
expenses were high and they could not afford a lot of travelling;
 In Slovenia you need a bank guarantor.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 173
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 4. Analysis of grant size
Small sub-
Large sub- Average
projects Other No differentiation
projects size of
Country Fund (min. and (min. and max. grant amount (min. and max. grant
(min. and max. approved
max. grant in €) amount in €)
grant amount in €) grant in €
amount in €)
5,000 – Micro 5,000 – 15,000
PL0168 – Democracy and civil society 150,001 - 250,000 - 39,466 €
50,000 Medium 50,001 -150,000
Poland PL0169 – Environmental protection and sustainable
- - - 5,000 - 250,000 105,460 €
development
PL0170 – Equal opportunities and social integration - - - 5,000 - 250,000 87,622 €
Czech CZ0004 – Life improvement in communities through 130
- - - 10,000 – 50,000 52,292 €
Republic NGO activities and services
5,000 –
HU0068 – NGO Fund 25,000 – 80,000 29,927 €
Hungary 25,000
HU0010 – Environmental NGO Fund - - - 10,000 – 250,000 19,873 €
LV0008 – NGO Fund – Measure 1 - - 43,322 €
LV0008 – NGO Fund – Measure 2 - - - 5,000 – 30,000 17,806 €
Latvia
LV0008 – NGO Fund – Measure 3 - - - 8,000 – 100,000 47,840 €
LV0061 – Society Integration Fund - - - max. 30,000 18,281 €
10,000 –
Lithuania LT0008 – NGO Fund 50,001 – 100,000 - - 47,416 €
50,000
SK0008 – NGO Fund (human rights) - - - 20,000 – 80,000 41,442 €
Slovakia SK0009 – NGO Fund (social inclusion) - - - 30,000 – 100,000 75,068 €
SK0011 – NGO Fund (sust. development) - - - Max. 100,000 58,480 €
PT0032 – Citizenship and civil society - - - 40,000 – 250,000 77,075 €
Portugal
PT0033 – Environment, sust. development - - - 25,000 – 75,000 68,968 €
1,278 –
Estonia EE0014 – NGO Fund 6,392 – 31,956 - - 12,710 €
6,391
10,000 -
Bulgaria BG0010 – NGO Fund 50,001 – 100,000 - - 30,663 €
50,000
RO0010 – Operator - - - Max 75,000
RO0010 – Operator - regional - - - Max 125,000
Romania 38,221 €
RO0010 – SGSs – Partner - environment - - - 5,000 - 15,000
RO0010 – SGSs – Partner - cultural heritage - - - 5,000 - 15,000
Slovenia SI0024 – NGO Fund - - - 10,000 – 50,000 43,071 €
15,000 –
Cyprus CY0017 – NGO Fund - - 15,000 – 70,000 46.076 €
70,000
130
The indicated limit was used in the 1st call for proposals, for the 2nd call the limits were 20,000-100,00 € and for the 3rd call 20,000-50,000 €.
174 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 5. Eligibility criteria
Country and Fund Eligible applicants Partners
PL0168 – Democracy and The following categories of legal entities are eligible as applicants: Sub-projects can involve partners from
civil society - Non-governmental organisations constituted as autonomous legal entities under the Poland and/or other EEA countries, such
PL0169 – Environmental laws on associations and foundations in Poland and operating in the areas defined as as NGOs, local authorities, public
protection and sustainable being of public interest in article 3.2 of the Law on Public Benefit Activity and Voluntarism; institutions, or commercial companies.
PL development - Social partners (for example: trade unions, employees‟ and employers‟ organisations); Their participation must be justifiable as
PL0170 – Equal - Faith-based organisations. regards the aims of the sub-project, and
opportunities and social the involvement of the partner(s) must be
integration not-for-profit in nature.
CZ0004 – Life improvement NGOs registered in the Czech Republic as civic associations, public benefit companies
CZ
in communities. and faith-based legal entities.
Eligible applicants are NGOs. In respect of the financial mechanisms, the EEA EFTA states
use the term NGO to include:
a) voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to direction by public authorities,
independent of political control and established under the legal system of the beneficiary state
(e.g. foundations, associations, charities, societies, trusts, etc.);
HU0068 – NGO Fund
b) social partners (employers organisations and trade unions); and
HU
c) certain independent organisations enjoying a specific legal status (e.g. the national Red
Cross societies).
The definition does not include political parties or municipalities. The NGOs should be
organisations functioning on a not-for-profit basis.
HU0010 – Environmental NGOs registered as legal entities in Hungary which have listed environmental protection
NGO Fund and conservation as a goal in their statutes.
Eligible applicants must be NGOs – societies, foundations and social partners. Applicants
must be registered in the Republic of Latvia. Eligible applicants must fulfil the following
conditions; voluntary organisations (established on a voluntary basis and voluntary
LV0008 – NGO Fund participation); independent legal body; act in the interest for a wider societal benefit on a non-
profit basis; employers organisations registered in Latvia as society or foundation; trade
unions acting in Latvia in compliance with the law on trade unions.
1. Ethnic minority NGOs – only for sub-measures nr. 1.-5. (For sub-measure 6 this group is A partnership consists in cooperation
LV
not eligible) To be regarded as “Ethnic minority NGO”, an organisation should be registered in among two or more organisations that
the Republic of Latvia as society or foundation and have to conform to such conditions: hold common responsibility about the
- be a member of National culture society association or National culture society association implementation of sub-project.
LV0061 – Society
itself, or
Integration Fund
- the name of organisation contains the name of any ethnic minority group living in Latvia and Applicants‟ partners must participate in
at least 50% of members of organisation are persons of that ethnic group, or designing and implementing the action.
- statutes or articles of organisation explicitly refer to aims or goals such as integration of
named ethnic group in Latvia society, or promoting national culture, language, traditions of Partners must be directly involved in the
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 175
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
that group and at least 50% of members of organisation are persons of that ethnic group, or preparation and implementation of the
- be any association having at least 80% of its members from ethnic minority groups above. sub-project. Each partner, including the
Ethnic minority group for the purpose of this Measure description mean a group of people applicant, must submit a written
living in Latvia and belonging to any other ethnic group than Latvians. declaration together with the grant
2. Mass media organisations - only for sub-measures nr. 3 and 5 (for sub-measures 1, 2, 4 application (partnership declaration)
and 6 this group is not eligible) which acknowledges their involvement in
To be regarded as “Mass media organisation”, an organisation should be registered in the the sub-project.
Republic of Latvia as society, foundation or capital company or be a public body and have to
conform to such conditions: Partners can be any public and private
- field of business: TV or radio programme production and ensuring its broadcasting by body registered in countries of EEA
organisation itself of by business partner via space, cable network or internet, or including Latvia. Partners must possess
- field of business: issuing state wide or regional wide newspapers or magazines, or the relevant expertise.
- field of business: maintaining internet portals specialized in news, culture, politics, civil Partnership: For Capacity strengthening
society and having at least 20 000 readers monthly. measure the partners can be NGOs and
3. Publishing house - only for sub-measure nr. 4 (for other sub-measures this group is not for the Project measure NGOs, Local and
eligible) district municipalities and their
To be regarded as “Publishing house”, an organisation should be registered in the Republic of institutions, Local and regional
Latvia as society, foundation or capital company or be public body, and its field of business development agencies in Latvia and
should be publishing. Central public administration bodies.
4. Primary and secondary schools- only for sub-measure nr. 6 (for other sectors this group
is not eligible). To be regarded as “Primary or secondary schools”, an organisation should be
registered in register of education institutions and be public body or be registered in the
Republic of Latvia as society, foundation or capital company and have to conform to such
conditions:
- implement primary education programmes, or
- implement general secondary level education programmes, or
- implement professional secondary level educational programmes.
Eligible applicants are: non-governmental organisations, such as associations, public An eligible sub-project partner must be a
institutions (except the ones established by governmental institutions) and charity and legal entity registered in the EEA. The
LT LT0008 – NGO Fund support funds. applicant and the partner (s) must be
The applicant must be a legal entity, registered in the Republic of Lithuania, operating in the closely related to the areas of activities
public interest. support is applied for.
SK0008 – NGO Fund Eligible applicants are NGOs as defined in Article 1 of the NGO Grants Guideline and
(human rights) registered in the Slovak Republic.
SK0009 – NGO Fund Eligible applicants are NGOs as defined in Article 1 of the NGO Grants Guideline.
SK (social inclusion)
Eligible applicants are NGOs as defined in Article 1 of the NGO Grants Guideline and
SK0011 – NGO Fund
registered in the Slovak Republic. They shall have a minimum two years‟ experience in the
(sustainable development)
implementation of activities in at least one of the four focus areas of the Fund.
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), such as Local Development Association, Private An eligible sub-project partner must be a
Institutions of Social Solidarity, Charitable Institutions (not confessional and independent of legal entity registered in the EEA. The
PT0032 – Citizenship and
PT political control), Social Partners, Foundations and Trusts or any other NGO functioning on a applicant and the partner(s) must be
civil society
non-profitable basis. The applicant must be a legal entity, registered in Portugal, operating closely related to the areas of activity of
in the public interest. the focus area and/or sub-areas of the
176 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Fund.
Eligible applicants are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are functioning on a
not-for-profit basis, operating in the public interest and constituted as legal entities in
Portugal, namely:
- Environmental NGO and/or similar organisations proved to be listed in the NGO National
Registry (the Environment Institute is responsible for implementing, supervising and
maintaining this Registry);
PT0033 – Environment,
- Environmental Protection Associations;
sustainable development
- Foundations and social partners;
- NGO Federations;
- Other associations, carrying out activities within the scope of the environment and
sustainable development.
The applications of the above mentioned entities shall only be accepted in case they prove
they have no debts vis-a-vis the Social Security and the Tax Administration.
Eligible applicants are NGOs constituted as legal entities in Estonia and operating in the The eligibility requirements for applicants
public interest. This shall include: do not apply to partners.
- voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to direction by public authorities,
independent of political control and established under the Estonian legal system;
EE EE0014 – NGO Fund - social partners (employers organisations and trade unions); and
- certain independent organisations enjoying a specific legal status (e.g. the national
Red Cross societies).
The definition does not include political parties. The NGOs should be organisations
functioning on a not-for-profit basis.
Eligible applicants are NGOs registered in Bulgaria. In respect of the EEA Financial
Mechanisms, the EEA EFTA states use the term NGO to include:
a) voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to direction by public authorities,
independent of political control and established under the legal system of the beneficiary state
(e.g. foundations, associations, charities, societies, trusts, etc.);
BG BG0010 – NGO Fund
b) social partners (employers organisations and trade unions); and
c) certain independent organisations enjoying a specific legal status (e.g. the national Red
Cross societies).
The definition does not include political parties or churches. The NGOs should be
organisations functioning on a not-for-profit basis.
Eligible applicants are NGOs. In respect of the EEA Financial Mechanisms, the EEA EFTA
states use the term NGO to include:
a) voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to direction by public authorities,
independent of political control and established under the legal system of the beneficiary state
(e.g. foundations, associations, charities, societies, trusts, etc.);
RO RO0010 – NGO Fund b) social partners (employers organisations and trade unions); and
c) certain independent organisations enjoying a specific legal status (e.g. the national Red
Cross societies).
This definition does not include political parties or churches. The NGOs should be
organisations functioning on a not-for-profit basis.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 177
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Eligible applicants are non-governmental, not-for-profit organisations, operating in the
public interest and constituted as autonomous legal entities in Slovenia (foundations,
SI SI0024 – NGO Fund societies, associations, private institutes, charities, social partners), operating in the
abovementioned thematic areas. They should be self-governing organisations not subject
to direction by public authorities and independent of political control.
Eligible applicants are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in accordance with the
definition of Article 1 of the NGO Grants Guideline:
- voluntary, self-governing organisations not subject to direction by public authorities,
independent of political control and established under the legal system of the beneficiary
state (e.g. foundations, associations, charities, societies, trusts, etc.);
CY CY0017 – NGO Fund - social partners (employers organisations and trade unions); and
- certain independent organisations enjoying a specific legal status (e.g. the national
Red Cross societies).
The definition does not include political parties. The NGOs should be organisations
functioning on a not-for-profit basis. Furthermore, the NGOs shall be constituted as legal
entities in the Republic of Cyprus and shall operate in the public interest.
178 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 6. Scoring of selection criteria
Scoring systems for Lithuania, Poland and Romania
Lithuania NGO Fund
Max
Criteria
score
1. Relevance and importance of the sub-project 35
1.1. How clearly the problem of the sub-project is described? 5
1.2. How relevant is the problem of the sub-project? (The scope of the problem. Its
10
importance to the target groups)
1.3. How justified is the existence and scope of the problem? (The background of the
5
existence of the problem)
1.4. How clearly and realistic are the causes of the problem? 10
1.5. How clearly is the applicant‟s role described while solving the problem?
5
(Isn‟t the problem being solved by other organisations or using other measures?)
2. Sub-project methodology 20
2.1. How clearly are the links between the problem of the sub-project and activities? 5
2.2. Sub-project implementation plan is clear and actually achievable 5
2.3. Correspondence between sub-project results and problem 5
2.4. How clear and justified is the cooperation of the partners within the sub-project
5
activities (on national and international level)
3. Sub-project‟s financial and economic justification 15
3.1. How justified is the budget? (Expedience and necessity of the expenditures with
5
regard to proposed activities)
3.2. How justified is the relation between the results, benefit and the expenditures of the
5
sub-project?
3.3. How clear are the financing resources of the applicant and the partner? 5
4. Sub-project management 10
4.1. How are the administrative capacities ensured? 5
4.2. How clear is the structure of the sub-project management (decision making process,
5
distribution of functions)?
5. Specific requirements regarding value-for-money assessment corresponding to
20
the nature of the open call
5.1. To what extent the sub-project implementation will contribute towards the strengthening
10
of the NGO itself within the area of the sub-project?
5.2. How realistic is the continuation of the benefit from the results of the sub-project for the
5
NGO in question?
5.3. To what extent activities of the sub-project contribute towards the cross-cutting issues
5
(gender equality, environmental protection etc.)?
TOTAL SCORE 100
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 179
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Poland – Lot II – Environmental protection and sustainable development
Description Score
30-21 points if the sub-project fully fits into at least one of the above aims
Coherence with the NGO Fund‟s
by activities within the Lots focus points,
aims
20-11 points – if the sub-project aims are mostly coherent with the NGO
1. Does the sub-project fit into
Fund‟s focus areas but have been presented in a too general matter to
completion of at least one of the
state it completely,
NGO Fund‟s aims within Lot II?
10-1 points – if the sub-project aims only partially fit into the priority aims
of the Fund and they are indicated not precisely enough,
If less than 15 points scored, the sub-
0 Points – if the sub-project does not fit into the priority aims of the NGO
project is rejected.
Fund.
30 points – very clearly described adequacy of the outlays to the results
and these numbers do not raise any doubts. The scope of particular
activities, is strictly connected in the sub-project
2. Are the outlays and resources 15-10 points – the relations of the outlays to the effects of the sub-project
adequate to the planned results? has been presented however the description or the numbers given raise
some doubts or are too general.
0 points – the outlays are disproportionate to the planned effects, there is
no connection between particular activities planned in the sub-project.
20 points – if the sub-project is precisely justified, defines the need or
Justification for completion of the
advantages coming from its completion.
sub-project
16-10 points – if the justification of the sub-project has been presented at
3. Has the need of sub-project
an overall level or is presented only partially
realization been correctly justified?
0 points – if the sub-project is not justified
10 points – if the advantages for the target groups are presented in detail
and are doubtless,
4. Does the sub-project have an 8-5 points – if the description of the sub-project‟s influence on the target
influence on satisfying the needs of groups is presented generally or only partially, or if the influence of the
the target groups? sub-project raises doubts
0 points – if the target groups have not been defined or there is no sub-
project influence on them.
10 points – the indicators are precisely described and countable, the
sources of their verification are clearly indicated and allow an objective
assessment
Expected sub-project results 8 – 5 points – the indicators have been prepared in a way which enables
5. Are the indicators of aims and their general assessment, however they have been presented on a too
results fulfilment created correctly? general level, imprecisely or the quantity of the indicators raises doubts in
connection with the specificity of the sub-project
0 points – the indicators are not adequate to the description of the sub-
project and the activities undertaken
10 points – the sub-project is coherent and logical it describes in detail
the way of the whole undertaking being completed
Description of the sub-project
8 – 5 points – the sub-project has been described on a general level and
6. Is the sub-project internally
is coherent in some fields
coherent (logically formed)?
0 points – the sub-project is not coherent internally, it lacks logical
connections with particular elements of its completion
10 points – the coherent activities have been precisely defined with
consideration of all of the above elements. The activities correspond with
the sub-project‟s specificity.
8 – 5 points – the description of the activities is presented on an overall
7. Have the activities been precisely
level and does not complete the scope presented above, the activities
defined?
partially correspond to the sub-project‟s specificity, their scope is not
unequivocal
0 points – there is no activities description or they do not correspond with
the sub-project‟s scope
10 points – the Applicant has experience in completion of similar projects
The Applicant‟s ability to complete
and in 3 years has completed project for the amount twice as high as the
the sub-project
amount he applies for now
8. Does the organisation have
8 – 5 points – the Applicant has general experience in completion of
experience in completing similar
project of similar value as the amount he applies for now
projects?
0 points – the Applicant does not have experience in completing projects
10 points – the Applicant completes the sub-project only by using his own
or his partner‟s human resources
9. Does the Applicant have 5 points – the Applicant plans subcontracting the sub-project works and it
necessary human resources? is clearly justified in the Application as well as necessary for a correct
sub-project completion
0 points – the Applicant plans subcontracting works which he is able to
180 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
run by his own means (are a subject of his statutory activities) or the
necessity of subcontracting has not been justified enough
10 points – the sub-project will be continued after it ceases to be financed
Project durability
in a full range, stable financing sources have been indicated
10. Is it planned to continue to run
8 – 5 points – the sub-project is going to be continued however the
the sub-project after it has ceased to
description is too general and it does not indicate any solutions which will
be financed?
ensure the possibility of further activities.
0 points –
10 points – the sub-project‟s results have a long-lasting result, they are
11. Are the expected results going to precisely indicated, their effect after the end of the sub-project does not
be durable financially and raise any doubts
institutionally (will the sub-project 8 – 5 points – the sub-project‟s results are described on a general level,
influence exceed the timeframe of its their durability cannot be fully assessed.
completion)? 0 points – the sub-projects results will not exceed the timeframe of its
completion. They will end with the sub-project
10 points – when the costs presented in the budget are coherent and
rational and they logically correspond with the sub-project activities
Project finance 8 – 5 points – the sub-project costs are roughly estimated, the costs level
12. Is the sub-project budget in correspondence with the activities haven‟t been unequivocally
designed rationally? described
0 points – the costs in the sub-project‟s budget or the costs of activities
are not rational or have not been described.
20 points – Participation of at least one foreign partner is expected, his
role in the sub-project is clearly stated the partner brings unique
knowledge, technical support, reinforces the sub-project‟s potential,
16 -10 points – participation of at least one foreign partner is expected
however his role is described rather generally. It influences however the
increase of sub-project‟s potential or there is a national partner involved
Partnership
and his role in the sub-project is clearly described, the scope and input
13. Does the partner‟s participation
into the work are clearly defined and he is an added value to the sub-
reinforce the project‟s potential?
project activities,
0 points – participation of a foreign or a national partner is expected
however his role in the sub-project is unclear and it cannot be assessed
whether it is connected to sub-project activities or he does not bring any
added value to the sub-project, no technical support, it does not reinforce
the sub-project‟s potential
10 points – the sub-project fully completes at least one of horizontal
Horizontal policies
policies
14. Does the sub-project influence
8 – 5 points – the sub-project generally covers the horizontal policies
completion of horizontal policies?
0 points – the sub-project does not complete any horizontal policies.
Romania NGO Fund
st nd
Evaluation grid 1 round Evaluation grid 2 round
Large Small Max.
Section and criteria Grants Grants Section and criteria Score
1. Organisation and partners 25 20 1. Relevance 25
1.1 Applicant and its partner(s) 5 3 1.1 The sub-project fits the objectives of the 5
experience on project component, as formulated in the Applicant
management, including its capacity Guide
to handle the budgets
1.2 Experience, professional 10 10 1.2 The approached issue is real and 5
competences and qualifications in identified, and sustained by convincing data
the field approached both of the and information, with specific focus on
applicant and its partner(s) target area.
1.3 Partners level of involvement in 5 2 1.3 The involved factors (target groups and 5
the sub-project (clear description of final beneficiaries) are strategically chosen,
their tasks) clearly defined and quantifiable.
1.4 Project team (number of 5 5 1.4 The problem solving strategy and the 10
members, roles and activities are well chosen, taking into
responsibilities, necessity) account the risks, the opportunities and the
needs of the target group(s)
2. Project – relevance, situation 50 55 2. Applicant and its partner(s) capacity 20
analysis, methodology, results
2.1 The sub-project fits the 10 10 2.1 Applicant and its partner(s) experience 5
objectives of the component, as on project management, including its
formulated in the Applicant Guide capacity to handle the budget
2.2 The approached issue is real 10 10 2.2 Experience, professional competences 5
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 181
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
and clearly identified, and sustained and qualifications in the field approached,
by convincing data and information; both of the applicant and its partner(s)
the target group(s) are clearly
defined and quantifiable.
2.3 The problem solving strategy 10 10 2.3 Partners level of involvement in the sub- 5
and the activities are well chosen, project (clear description of their tasks)
taking into account the risks, the Note: If there are no partners the score will
opportunities and the needs of the be 1.
target group(s)
2.4 The activities are realistic and 5 10 2.4 Project team (number of members, roles 5
practically designed, in relation to and responsibilities, necessity)
the sub-project resources
2.5 The activities are coherently 5 5 3. Activities, action plan, results and 40
planned (the action plan is clear impact
and feasible)
2.6 The logical framework contains 5 5 3.1 The activities are described in detail and 5
quantifiable, measurable, relevant to the sub-project objectives.
quantitative and qualitative
indicators
2.7 The sub-project includes 5 5 3.2 The activities are realistic and 5
efficient activities to ensure its practically designed, in relation to the sub-
sustainability, valorification and project resources
integration of the results, financially
and institutionally
3. Budget 25 25 3.3 The activities are coherently planned 5
(the action plan is clear and feasible)
3.1 The proposed expenditures are 15 15 3.4 Target groups/beneficiaries level of 5
justified in relation to expected involvement in the sub-project
results implementation.
3.2 The activities are realistically 10 10 3.5 The sub-project includes monitoring and 5
and reasonably budgeted. evaluation activities
3.6 The logical framework contains 5
quantifiable, measurable, quantitative and
qualitative indicators
3.7 The sub-project will have a tangible 5
impact on its target groups.
3.8 The sub-project includes efficient 5
activities to ensure its sustainability,
valorification and integration of the results,
financially and institutionally
4. Budget 15
4.1 The proposed expenditures are justified 5
in relation to expected results
4.2 The activities are realistically and 5
reasonably budgeted.
4.3 The budget is correct (including the 5
existence of the calculation errors, costs
eligibility)
182 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 7. Payment systems
a) The payment to the end beneficiary is made by the Intermediary
Case 1
The Intermediaries of the NGO Funds in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary received the funds
directly from the FMO and made payments to the end beneficiaries (see Figure 14). In terms
of time needed this system proved to be the most efficient.
Figure 14 Direct payment from Intermediary no Paying Authority
Processing of Project Interim Reports (PIR)
The time from submission of the PIR to FMO and receipt of payments was on average done in
few days. All Intermediaries working directly with FMO assessed their relations as very
positive, flexible and efficient.
Bulgaria
Excellent working relations, FMO is very flexible and provides prompt responses to all
questions posed by the Intermediary. The payments are also made very quickly – within 5
days after the request. “We are lucky to report directly to the FMO instead of the Bulgarian
Ministry of Finance which is responsible for the overall programme. Thus, the communication
was much easier.” The Norwegian Embassy was also very helpful.
Case 2
The Intermediary receives funds for re-granting from the Paying Authority upon receipt of the
money from the FMO. This system is the most common (see Figure 15). 131
131
Where appropriate, internal financial flows that may exist between the state treasury and ministries are not presented in
detail. In the charts, these are simplified through “Paying Authority” only.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 183
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Figure 15 Direct payment from Intermediary - source Paying Authority
Processing of PIR
The time needed to process the PIR in country differed significantly and depended on national
procedures. In most cases these depended on the level of involvement of the Focal Point and
Paying Authorities in the checking of the sub-projects.
Estonia
The sub-projects reports are 100% checked only by the Intermediary. The PIR is prepared by
the Intermediary and submitted for check to the Focal Point. The FP checks the progress and
submits the PIR to the Paying Authority that checks financial part and sends it to the FMO.
The process is completed in approximately 1 month. One audit was made by Ministry of
Finance on a sample of 9 sub-projects. Site visits were made; accounting documents were
checked as well as the Intermediary control and management system. Advice and
suggestions from the auditing officers were taken into account.
b) Payments are made by the Paying Authority
In this case the funding is received from the FMO by the Paying Authority which deals with
individual payments to the end beneficiaries (see Figure 16). This system was applied in
Slovenia. A similar structure was defined in Lithuania, where the grant was pre-financed from
national funds and the end beneficiaries were paid from the State treasury.
184 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Figure 16 Payment by Paying Authority
Processing of PIR
Slovenia
Each report of the end beneficiary is checked three times: by the Intermediary, by the FP and
by the Ministry of Finance. This caused delays in payments to end beneficiaries. In addition to
the 3 months delays of the payment, the whole payment procedure was also prolonged
because some beneficiaries had to wait for the preparation of PIRs as dates of submitting the
report were not harmonized.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 185
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 8. Reporting and payment arrangements
Country BG CY CZ EE HU LV LT PL PT RO SK SI
Reporting and payment arrangements at the sub-project level
Reporting First report Quarterly Interim + Quarterly, ENV Fund: Quarterly, Quarterly Quarterly, Quarterly Quarterly Quarterly, Quarterly,
arrangements in 60 days, reports (project final report completion 6 monthly final report technical annual, reports, Interim report completion completion
Quarterly of more than 6 report reporting reports, completion completion (after spending reports report
reports + months Reports reports report 70% of
completion duration) + NGO f: attached to advance),
report interim report Quarterly payment completion
absorption claims on a report
based) monthly basis
or 2 monthly;
final report
Advance Small p.: 40% 50% for 2- Small p: ENV f.: 25%, In total 80% Lot 1: medium, 25% 50%, but not 40% 50%
payment 40% (not year sub- 80% 50% but not more large 50% (not 30% more than
more than projects, 80% if sub- than 40.000 €, more than 50.000 €
50.000 €), 80% for 1- Large p: NGO f. project lasts 50.000 €),
Large p.: year sub- 50% Small p: less than 3 micro, small:
30% (not projects 80% months 80%
more than Large p: Lot 2,3: 40%
50.000 €), 50% (not more than
50.000 €)
Interim After 60% of 40% 30% for 2- Large p: ENV f: 55% - yes Lot 1: When None paid out 30% after 55% 30%
payments/ advance year sub- 30% after 4th 30% advance 70% of yet. approval of according to
advance spent; projects quarterly instalments advance is interim report. cash flow
instalments Small p.: report NGO f. used, next Interim report forecast.
40% Large p: instalment is may be
Large p.: 30% paid out submitted after
30%, 20% (2 Lot 2,3: 70% of adv. is
interim up to 50% spent)
payments)
Final balance 20% upon 20% 20% upon 20% upon 20% upon 20% upon 20% upon At least 20% upon 20% upon 5% upon 20% upon
approval of approval of approval of approval of approval of approval of 10% upon approval of approval of approval of approval of
completion completion completion completion completion completion completion completion completion completion completion
report report report report report report report report report report
The end Intermediary Intermediary Intermediar Intermediary ENV f. -Paying Intermediary Paying Intermediary Paying Intermediary Intermediary Paying
beneficiary is y Authority- Authority Authority Authority
paid by: NGO f. -
Intermediary
186 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Average time / / 15 days Advance in 5 ENV f: 15 days for 5-6 weeks, 2 weeks 6 months for 3-4 days 3-4 days 1,5 – 3 months
to process advance – WDs, 60 days for quarterly after advance (checking of a (checking of
payment to a 60 days reports advance p. reports, simplification payment report not a report not
end final checked average 70 of procedure included) included)
beneficiary132 payment within 1 NGO f.: days to 2-3 weeks
month, 1 week for check final
payment in 5 advance p. report + 10
WDs WDs for
payment
Grant as% of 50 – 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90%
eligible costs
„in-kind‟ Up to 50% of Up to 50% of Up to 50% Up to 50% of NGO: up to Civil: Up to 2% of Up to 8% of Up to 7% of Up to 2% of Up to 5% of Up to 80% of
contribution own own of own own 8% of total Up to 50% of total eligible total eligible total eligible total eligible total eligible own
contribution, contribution, contribution contribution eligible costs own costs costs costs costs costs, contribution,
but not more but in practice contribution but not more
than 20% of not used. than 20% of
total eligible NGO: up to up to 2% of the total
costs 5% of total total eligible eligible cost
eligible costs costs,
On-the-spot At least 10% Yes, more 100% 33% 100% 25% Yes – not 10% small, yes 100% yes 18%
checks done than half (source: specifically micro, 100%
on% of sub- covered so far Annex III) defined. large, medium
projects
132
The collected data is not fully comparable as the information on the time needed for checking of reports is not included in all funds.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 187
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 9. Analysis of future needs
NGO Funds Number of occurrences of area as one of top three priorities from questionnaires
Strengthening NGO Environment Community
Democracy Human rights Culture
sector education development
Capacity Fight Education Health
Reliable Climate Multi-
building against Civil society Social Discrimination
funding change cultural
Networking corruption
Country/NGO Fund
Questionnaires+ 65 34 16 21 65 57 20 14 4 9
PL FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires+ 17 11 3 12 2 5 9 2 1 3
CZ FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires 41 22 4 12 12 10 3 9 4 1
HU FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires+ 13 5 3 13 5 5 6 3
LV FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires+ 17 2 4 9 1 2 2
LT FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires 15 7 1 1 6 1 1
SK FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires+ 12 7 9 5 5 2 4 1
PT FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires 17 9 1 1 10 3
EE FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires+ 8 11 4 10 20 13 3 2 1 2
BG FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
188 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Questionnaires 29 14 3 1 10 3 3 3
RO FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires 8 5 1 1 3 1 5 1
SI FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Questionnaires 8 7 1 4 1 1 1
CY FG EB
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
Weighted aggregate
NGO Funds Number of occurrences of area as one of top three priorities from questionnaires
Strengthening NGO Environment Community
Democracy Human rights Culture
sector education development
Capacity Fight Education Health
Reliable Climate Multi-
building against Civil society Social Discrimination
funding change cultural
Networking corruption
Questionnaires 116 98 38 73 95 83 49 56 14 38
FG EB 7 2 2 2 2 4 2 1 1 0
2 0 3 2 2 2 1 2 0 1
2 2 1 2 2 3 1 2 0 2
IB+FP+NE+FG KI
3 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 1
1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Weighted aggregate from questionnaires: Stated categories were marked 1 – 10 (where 10 represent the most common category). These marks
were then summed up and represented the most often reported need to be co-financed. In this case, the influence of one country with its specific
needs was diminished, as every country was equally treated (if this would not have been done, would for example, Polish need for social would
cause it be appear second most often reply, while by country it is third.
FG EB = end beneficiary Focus Group: IB = Intermediary: NE = Norwegian Embassy: KI = Key informant
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 189
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 10. Indicators
Some notes on two different approaches are given below:
ARVIN
The Participation and Civic Engagement Group of the World Bank have proposed a way to
assess the enabling environment for civic engagement based on five critical dimensions,
with the acronym ARVIN:133
Association(A): the freedom of citizens to associate;
Resources (R): their ability to mobilize resources to fulfil the objectives of their
organisations;
Voice(V): their ability to formulate and express opinion;
Information(I): their access to information (necessary for their ability to exercise voice,
engage in negotiation and gain access to resources);
Negotiation(N): the existence of spaces and rules of engagement for negotiation,
participation and public debate.
The ARVIN framework is the basis on which a full-fledged analytical tool and process are
being developed and tested through country-level assessments, and the framework offers a
range of indicators. For example, under Accountability and Transparency an indicator is
identified as „The extent to which the non-profit organisation laws provide for periodic
reporting to the government, public disclosure of organisational information, and other
accountability and transparency mechanisms‟. The ARVIN framework does therefore cover
many of the key issues highlighted by this evaluation.
The Global Civil Society Index
Originally developed through the Johns Hopkins Centre for Civil Society Studies and now
being undertaken by Civicus, the Global Civil Society Index measures multiple dimensions
of civil society to produce “a composite measure that can be easily understood and
systematically analyzed.” Assessments exist for some but not all of the 12 EEA and
Norway beneficiaries of NGO Funds. Its dimensions and indicators cover:
Capacity
paid employment
volunteers
workforce dispersion (among different fields of activity)
private giving
Sustainability
Government payments
Fees
Persons Volunteering
Legal Environment
Impact
Value added (% GDP)
Non-profit service share (% total employment)
Workforce in NGO fields (% adult population)
Organisation membership
Civicus has also developed dimensions, indicators and tools that look at legitimacy,
transparency and accountability within the NGO sector that can be used, though they have
been developed to examine individual NGOs rather than sectors.
133
http://go.worldbank.org/378AB9OH00 and
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPCENG/1220276-1118059556158/20526727/Descriptors+--+final.pdf.
190 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 11. Questionnaire
From the key evaluation questions, a hierarchy of subsidiary questions was developed (see
Table 14), and from these the questionnaire below was developed:
Table 14 Evaluation questions and evaluation criteria
EQs in ToR 1 February 2010 Extended evaluation questions
1. Relevance:
1.1. To what extent and how have  To what extent can the socio-economic impacts be separated
the NGO Funds responded to and measured?
the EEA and Norway Grants
overall objectives of reducing
economic and social
disparities?
1.2. To what extent and how have 1.2.1. Definition of needs
NGO Funds contributed to  Are the needs in each country defined – for the current period
responding to strategic and for the future?
priorities and needs as well as  What are the future specific and most pressing needs for
to the development of the NGO support to the sector in these countries?
sector at national level?  Do the needs include both NGO needs (individual NGOs
1.3. How would a programme- (capacity building, advocacy/service provision, regional, and
based approach look for the sector) and national or global needs, such as mitigation of
civil society sector, and what climate change, reduction in loss of biodiversity, democracy,
sort of indicators should be fight against corruption, etc.
used to make sure that funds 1.2.2. Adequacy of strategies
can make a valuable impact?  Is there an agreed national civil society strategy to respond to
these needs?
 Are the needs prioritised, including the regional needs?
 Does the civil society strategy identify/match sources of funding
to needs?
1.2.3. Alignment and relevance
 Is there an alignment between the national civil society strategy
and the EEA and Norway objectives?
 To what extent are the EEA and Norway Grants covering the
needs of the NGO sector in the countries?
 How significant are the EEA and Norway Grants in the context
of other support to the civil society sector?
 To what extent are there potential gaps in types of NGO/target
group beneficiaries?
 To what extent are implemented projects relevant?
1.2.4. Context
 Is the legal framework for civil society supportive and stable, or
restrictive or unstable?
 How significant are the bilateral relations between the donors
and the beneficiaries within the context of the NGO Funds?
2. Efficiency:
2.1. How efficient was the 2.1.1. Targeting
management set up and how  Has the application process reflected local and international
could it be improved to good practice?
increase efficiency of the grant  Have the calls for proposals been sufficiently focused and
system? clear?
 Have they been targeted in response to known needs, both civil
society needs (local and regional) and national and global
needs)?
 What types and sizes of NGOs have been targeted?
 Has targeting taken into account the need for complementarity
compared to other sources of funding/interventions?
 Have second and further calls been refined in the light of
experience with the response to the first call?
 What is average size of application?
2.1.2. Selection of projects
 Has the selection process/ranking system been influenced by
known needs and known priorities?
 Has the selection process taken into account the likely impact
and sustainability of projects?
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 191
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
 Has the selection process tried to maintain a balance between
service provision and advocacy?
 Has the selection process taken into account the availability of
other sources of funding, and the need to ensure
complementarity?
 What happens to acceptable projects that are outside the
available grant funds? Which other funding programmes are
operating and with what focus?
 Are there unexplained national differences in the selection,
take-up, type of project, characteristics of selected NGOs,
bilateral partnerships, etc?
2.1.3. Management
 How well have the Intermediaries performed? How is this
performance viewed by the donors, by the Focal Point (where
applicable) and by the grant beneficiaries?
 Where the Focal Point has contracted the Intermediary, how
efficient and effective has contracting, reporting and financial
control been carried out?
 To what extent is the grant system efficient and effective?
 To what extent are implemented and completed projects
efficient?
 How well have grant recipients performed?
 Is there a difference depending on the type and size of NGO
and the fund priorities?
3. Effectiveness:
3.1. To what extent have the NGO  To what extent are Funds effective in terms of achieving their
Funds‟ overall objectives been planned results?
met at Fund and sub-project  To what extent are implemented and completed sub-projects
level? effective in terms of achieving their planned results?
3.2. To what extent have cross-
cutting priorities of gender,
bilateral relations and
sustainable development been
addressed?
4. Impact:
4.1. What has been the planned  What is the potential and/or actual impact and results of the
and unplanned impact, NGO support?
including on the institutional  To what extent have the implemented and completed sub-
capacity of the sector, and on projects achieved the planned impact?
the targeted areas/groups at
sub-project level?
5. Sustainability:
5.1. To what extent has ownership  To what extent are the achieved results and impact of
by stakeholders and the implemented and completed projects sustainable?
institutionalisation of supported
activities been sustained after
funding has ceased?
6. Visibility:
6.1. What is the visibility of the
contributions at different levels
(local, sectoral and general
public)?
192 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
QUESTIONNAIRE
NORWEGIAN AND EEA FUNDS EVALUATION
ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL TO THE EVALUATION
TEAM. Please provide as much detail as possible in your answers.
NAME OF ORGANISATION:
TITLE OF SUB-PROJECT:
1. YOUR GRANT:
1.1 Which fund did you receive funding from?
1.2 What was the amount of grant that you received?
1.3 What was the length of your sub-project? When did it end?
Length of sub-project:
Completion date:
2. YOUR SUB-PROJECT:
2.1 Brief description of your sub-project (no more than 50 words):
2.2 What was your target issue?
2.2 What were the key aims/ objectives of your sub-project – what was your sub-project intended to
achieve?
2.3 How successful do you think you were in achieving these aims/ objectives?
2.4 Who were the target beneficiaries of your sub-project? How many beneficiaries did you aim to reach?
How successful do you think you were in reaching your target beneficiaries?
2.5 What were the main activities of your sub-project?
2.6 What do you consider your main achievements to have been?
2.7 What do you see as the difference that your sub-project made?
For your organisation:
For your beneficiaries:
On the issue that was the target of your sub-project:
On wider society:
2.8 Have you continued with work in this sub-project area since the completion of your sub-project?
YES/NO
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 193
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
If yes, please briefly describe what you are continuing to do:
2.9 Did this sub-project enable you to lever extra funds from:
Governmental sources (local and/or national): YES/NO
If YES, what kind of funding?
External donors (e.g. EU funds): YES/NO
If YES, what kind of funding?
External donors – foundations: YES/NO
If YES, what kind of funding?
Internal donors – foundations etc: YES/NO
If YES, what kind of funding?
2.10 How far do you think that your work on the issue carried out by your sub-project is sustainable for the
future?
2.11 Have you carried out evaluation of your sub-project?
Internal only: YES/NO
External only: YES/NO
Both internal and external: YES/NO
3. ABOUT THE GRANTS PROCESS:
3.1 FINDING OUT ABOUT THE GRANTS
3.1.1 How easy was it to find out about the grants from the EEA and Norway NGO Fund?
Please score the following scale of 1 – 5, where
1 = Difficult; publicity about the grants hard to find
2 = Fairly difficult; some publicity about the grants
3 = Relatively easy
4 = Easy to find out about the grants
5 = Very easy to find out about the grants; lot of publicity
SCORE:
3.1.2 Do you think that these grants were widely known about by the NGO sector?
YES/NO
If No, what could have been done to improve the publicity for the grants?
3.2 THE APPLICATION PROCESS
3.2.1 How would you rate the application process?
Please give a score 1 – 5, where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy for each of the following:
(a) Clarity of the information provided about the criteria for the grants (how easy was it to understand if
your organisation, proposed sub-project, size of grant needed etc. would be eligible?)
SCORE:
(b) Clarity of other information about the grants (was the process of assessment, timescales for decisions
etc easily understandable?)
How easy was it to complete the application form?
SCORE:
3.2.2 How much supporting information was provided to enable you to complete the application form?
Please score on a scale of 1 – 5, where 1 is very little and 5 is a lot of information and guidance for form
completion
194 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
SCORE:
3.3 HELP AND SUPPORT
3.3.1 During the sub-project, if you experienced any problems, how easy was it to get help and guidance?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy.
SCORE:
3.3.2 Were you able to access any help or support from the Intermediary?
YES/NO
If YES, What kind of help and support were you provided with?
How would you rate the help and support given to you? Please give a score on the scale from 1 – 5, where 1 is
not at all helpful and 5 is very helpful.
SCORE:
If NO, would you have liked help and support from the Intermediary?
YES/NO
If YES, what kind of support would you have liked?
3.3.3 Were information meetings about the grants held by the Intermediary in your area of the country?
YES/NO
Did you attend any information meetings held by the Intermediary? (If appropriate for the specific country
scheme).
YES/NO
How easy was it for your organisation to attend an information meeting? Please give details if you had any
problems in attending such a meeting.
If your organisation attended an information meeting, how valuable would you rate this meeting?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5, where 1 is not at all useful to 5, very useful.
SCORE:
Did it provide you with all of the information you needed about the grants process? YES/NO
If No, what further information would you have liked at the meeting?
3.3.4 Did your organisation receive any capacity building support from the funding organisation?
YES/NO
If yes, what kind of support did you receive?
If Yes, how useful was this capacity building support? Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is not at all
useful and 5 is very useful.
SCORE:
3.3.5 How far do you think that the process of applying for, and receiving this grant, has helped to build your
capacity in regard to other similar grant processes and in relation to other funders‟ programmes?
3.4 THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
3.4.1 Was information provided to you as to how your application would be assessed? (e.g. the scoring for
proposals, the use of external assessors etc)
YES/NO
How transparent do you think the assessment process was?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5, where 1 is not transparent at all and 5 is very transparent.
SCORE:
3.4.2 The time between the application being submitted and hearing results was:
As expected
Quicker than expected
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 195
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Longer than expected
(Please put a “x” against the appropriate time scale)
3.5 THE OVERALL PROCESS
3.5.1 How did the overall grants application process compare to that of other funders that you have
experienced?
3.6 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
3.6.1 Grant Conditions
How easy was it to undertake some of the requirements of the grant?
For each of the following, please score on the following scale:
1 = very difficult and complex; hard for my organisation
2 = difficult and complex
3 = some difficulty
4 = did not present too many problems
5 = easy to do
(a) Procurement
SCORE:
(b) Development of any policies and procedures required as a condition of the grant
SCORE:
(c ) Compliance with general grant conditions
SCORE:
3.6.2 FINANCES
How easy was the financial accounting process?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy
SCORE:
Were you able to access support to enable you to meet the financial reporting requirements?
YES/NO
If NO, would support and advice have been helpful? YES/NO
3.6.3 Were there any delays or problems in receiving grant instalments?
YES/NO
If YES, please give details
3.6.3 MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Monitoring process:
How easy was it to undertake the sub-project monitoring process?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy.
SCORE:
Were you able to access support to enable you to carry out effective monitoring – e.g. with sub-project reporting
etc?
YES/NO
If NO, would this have been helpful to you? YES/NO
Evaluation:
Were you required to carry out any evaluation of your sub-project work?
YES/NO
If Yes, were you provided with any support for this process? YES/NO
4. BILATERAL COOPERATION
Did your sub-project involve a bilateral partnership with a donor organisation?
YES/NO
196 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
If Yes, were you provided with any support for this process? YES/NO
If Yes, what was the nature of this support?
If No, why did your sub-project not involve bilateral partnership?
How easy was it to find a partner?
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy.
SCORE:
How valuable was the partnership to your sub-project? Please describe the benefits.
Please score on a scale from 1 – 5 where 1 is not significant and 5 is very valuable.
SCORE:
Benefits:
Is there a lesson learned from the partnership? How might setting up a bilateral partnership be improved in the
future?
Will the partnership continue after the end of the Grant?
YES/NO
5. A WIDER PERSPECTIVE ON THE NGO FUND
5.1 How far do you think that this fund has contributed overall to improving social, economic, environmental
conditions in your country?
5.2 How far do you think that the priorities for this fund reflected the priorities for the NGO sector in your
country?
AND FINALLY….
5.3 What do you see as being the current 3 key priorities for the NGO sector and its development in your
country?
Thank you for your assistance.
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 197
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 12. List of documents
Source Title (year)
General
Doing it Differently and Making a Difference – the History of Charity Know
How and Allavida, July 2008, Christine Forester.
AusAID Guidance on M&E for Civil Society Programs, December 2008
Asian Development Bank An introduction to results management, 2006
Bulgaria, Ministry of State Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2007-2013, September 2007
Administration and
Administrative Reform
Canadian International CIDA Primer on Program-Based Approaches, August 5, 2003
Development Agency
CoE Toolkit of Local Government Capacity-Building Programmes, September
2005
DFID Joint Evaluation of Citizens‟ Voice and Accountability - Evaluation Report
EV692, November 2008
EC Draft Conclusions Civil Society Conference, Brussels, 17/18 April 2008
EEA and Norway Grants Evaluation Manual 2008 – 2012, January 2009
EEA and Norway Grants Task Manager‟s Guide for Scoring of Project for Reporting Purpose, January
2009
EEA and Norway Financial Programmes (groups of sub-projects), January 2006
Mechanism
EEA and Norway Financial FMO - Appraisal Manual, Version 3, January 2007
Mechanism
EEA and Norway Financial NGO Grants Guideline, 29 August 2007
Mechanism
OECD Accra Agenda for Action, August 2008
OECD Results based Management in the Development Co-Operation Agencies: A
Review of Experience, February 2000
OECD Aid Management Guidelines Glossary. 2nd edition, February 2006
Norad Mid-term Evaluation of the EEA grants, August 2008
Nordic Consulting Group A evaluation of the selection process and dialogue in the implementation of
the EEA Grants with special focus on Hungary, Latvia and Slovakia, April
2008
The Sasakawa Peace “We and they” - NGOs„ Influence on Decision-Making Processes in the
Foundation Visegrad Group Countries, 2008
ScanTeam Norwegian Bilateral Relations in the Implementation of the EEA Financial,
March 2008 Mechanisms
SIDA Sida‟s support to civil society, May 16 2007
SIDA Guidance on Programme-Based Approaches, September 2008
SIDA The Use and Abuse of the Logical Framework Approach - A Review of
International Development NGOs‟ Experiences, November 2005
SIDA Policy Guidance and Results-Based Management of Sida‟s Educational
Support, February 2008
UNESCO Results-Based Programming, Management and Monitoring (RBM) at
UNESCO - Guiding Principles, January 2008.
USAID 2008 NGO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia,
June 2009
World Bank Managing Performance - The experience of the World Bank Mauritania
Country Office, July 2007.
World Bank GRI NGO/NPO Sector Supplement Round Table, Washington, December
2008
In country
EEA and Norway Financial Fund set up document for each NGO Fund
Mechanism
EEA and Norway Financial Project Implementation Report for each NGO Fund
Mechanism
Various Open calls, Guidelines for applicants, sub-project reports
198 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Annex 13. List of Interviews
Date Title Name Position At
FMO Brussels (EEA and Norway Grants)
Monitoring & Priority
Various Ms Emily Harwit FMO, Brussels
Sector Coordinator
Head of Reporting and
21-Sep Ms Kristin Sverdrup FMO, Brussels
Evaluation
Donors – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
* Ministry for Foreign
10-May Mr Bjarni Vestmann Minister-Counsellor
Affairs, Iceland
Liechtenstein Mission to
11-May** Mr Thomas Bischof Second Secretary
the European Union
Ambassador – EEA
5-Mar Ms Ingrid Schulerud Norwegian Ministry of
financial mechanisms
Foreign Affairs
5-Mar Mr Torill Johansen Adviser
Bentsen
5-Mar Ms Vanja Project Manager Norwegian Helsinki
Kleven
Committee
5-Mar Mr Anders Nielsen Information Officer
Bulgaria
24-Feb Ms Dagrfrid Hjorthol First Secretary Norwegian Embassy
24-Feb Ms Antoaneta Hansteen Programme Officer Norwegian Embassy
24-Feb Ms Anne Martenson Intern Norwegian Embassy
Mr Zdravko Sechkov Foundation for Local
Ms Desislava Gencheva Government Reform
Ms Irena Boneva (FLGR)
Ms Lubomira Kolcheva Environmental
Partnership Foundation
Ms Radostina Marinova (BEPF)
Monitoring of the EU
25-Feb Ms Anelia Grozdanova State expert Funds at the Council of
Ministers Department,
25-Feb Ms Miroslava Pigova State expert Council of Ministers
Cyprus
Managing Director – First Elements
3-Mar Mr. Pantelis Dimitriou
Intermediary Body Euroconsultants Ltd.
8-Mar Mrs Lorraine Marriott Project Manager NGO Support Center
Association for the
Research and
8-Mar Mr George Filippou Prevention and Handling
Development Officer
of Violence in the Family
Foundation of Social and
9-Mar Ms Andri Christoforou Research Officer
Political Studies
Cyprus Red Cross
10-Mar Mr Thalia Vourkidou Secretary
Society
Mediterranean Institute of
10-Mar Ms Christina Kaili Project Administrator
Gender Studies
Royal Norwegian
17-Mar Ms. Xeni Anastasiou Commercial Officer
Embassy, Athens
-
10 Mar Ms Voula Stylianou
- National Focal Point Planning Bureau
10 Mar Ms Leda Skordelli.
Czech Republic
22-Feb Mr Bojan Suh Program director
NROS (Intermediary)
22-Feb Ms Stepanka Gray-Markova Program manager
Head of Foreign Ministry of Finance
Ms Ludmila Lefnerova
Assistance Unit,
Ms Helena Benyskova , Information Officer Norwegian Embassy
*
Telephone interview
**
Written response
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 199
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
Estonia
16-Feb Ms Piret Marvet Programme Officer Norwegian Embassy
16-Feb Ms Aveli Ainsalu Specialist on civil society Ministry of Interior
Managing Director, end Organic products
Ms Airi Vetemaa
beneficiary promotion
Project manager Green procurement for
Ms Evelin Urbel-Piirsalu assistant, end local and central
beneficiary governments
Mr Priit Adler End beneficiary MTÜ Ökokratt
Project manager, end Baltic Environmental
Ms Kai Klein
beneficiary Forum
Ms Anne Kivinukk End beneficiary REC Estonia
Estonian Association of
Ms Viire Viss End beneficiary Environmental
Managament
Mr Tiit Papp End beneficiary MTÜ Eesti Kurtide Liit
11-Mar Ms Maris Jogeva Programme coordinator
11-Mar Ms Natalja Loonurme Programme coordinator Open Estonia Foundation
11-Mar Ms Kadri Lohe Programme assistant (Intermediary)
11-Mar Ms Tuuli Kull Programme assistant
Acting advisor, Ministry of Finance,
11-Mar Ms Ülle Lobjakas Structural and Foreign Estonia (National Focal
Assistance Department Point)
Network of Estonian Non-
Policy and
12-Mar Mr Alari Rammo profit Organisations,
communication
(NGO)
Hungary
6-Feb Mr Péter Pálvölgyi Director Demnet
Derector, head of
9-Feb Ms Vera Mora Ökotárs
consortium
12-Feb Mrs Edit Köles Project manager Ministry of Environment
13-Feb Mr András Nun Project manager Autonomia Foundation
16-Feb Ms Boglárka Bata Director Karpatian Foundation
26-Mar Ms Mikulas Brigitta Head of Department NDA
26-Mar Mr Polgár Tamás Norwegian Embassy
Latvia
Head of division,
Financial instruments
coordination
9-Mar Ms Diana Atakauke
department,
Implementation and
Monitoring Division
Deputy Head, Financial
instruments coordination Ministry of Finance
9-Mar Ms Guntra Podniece department, Republic of Latvia,
Implementation and National Focal Point,
Monitoring Division
Senior desk officer,
Financial instruments
coordination
9-Mar Ms Elina Egle
department,
Implementation and
monitoring division
Head of Programme
9-Mar Ms Alda Sebre
Unit
Head of Programmes
9-Mar Ms Jelena Šaicane
Monitoring Unit Society Integration
Deputy director of the Foundation (Intermediary)
9-Mar Ms Sandra Rieksta
Secretariat
Project manager, Project
9-Mar Mr Ardis Dumbis
unit
Adviser - EEA and
Royal Norwegian Embassy
10-Mar Ms Linda Ozola Norway Grants
in Riga, Latvia
200 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
10-Mar Mr Jan Grevstad Norwegian Ambassador
Ms Diana Atkauke
Lithuania
Project Management
Center for Environmental
23-Feb Mr. Vytautas Stankevičius Center (Secretariat for
Policy, Vilnius
NGO Fund in Lithuania)
Ministry of Finance
23-Feb Mr. Kasparas Jakubėnas (Intermediary and Focal
Point)
Poland
8-Mar Mr. Rafal Szakalinis ECORYS Polska Sp. z.o.o.
9-Mar Mr Sidsel Bleken Counsellor (EEA Grants) Royal Norwegian Embassy
Gradowska-
9-Mar Ms Karina Adviser (EEA Grants) Royal Norwegian Embassy
Karpinska
Mazur-
10-Mar Ms Agnieszka
Barańska
Co-operation Fund
Head of Unit Fund for
Foundation
10-Mar Mr Bartosz Mielecki Non-Governmental
Organisations Unit
11-Mar Ms Małgorzata Wierzbicka Director Ministry of Regional
11-Mar Mr Tomasz Kołodziej Development –
Head of programming Department for Aid
11-Mar Ms Urszula Deimidziuk
Unit Programmes and
11-Mar Ms Justyna Krawczyk Head of Unit Technical Assistance
Portugal
APA – Agência
Portuguesa de Ambiente
do Carmo (Portuguese Agency for
25-Mar Ms Dr. Maria Coordinator
Cunha Environment), under the
Ministry of Environment
and Territorial Planning.
8-Mar Mr Dr. João Pereira Former Coordinator CIG – Comissão para a
Cidadania e Igualdade de
8-Mar Mr Dr. João Paiva Coordinator Género (Commission for
Citizenship and Gender
Equality), under the
8-Mar Ms Dra. Joana Marteleira Expert Secretary of State for
Equality, under the Ministry
of the Presidency
Mr Dr. António Chaves Coordinator Unidade Nacional de
Gestão, entity created by
Government for the
management of EEA
Ms Dra. Ana Resende Expert Funds (NGO and Block
Grants), within the Ministry
of Environment and
Territorial Planning.
Romania
24-Feb Mr Ionuţ SIBIAN Executive Director
Civil Society Development
Team Leader NGO Foundation (FDSC)
24-Feb Ms Simona Constantinescu
Fund
Commercial and PR
22-Feb Ms Monica-Ştefana POPA
Officer
Norwegian Embassy
Commercial, Cultural
22-Feb Ms Diana SĂCĂREA
and Press Assistant
Slovakia
18-Feb Mr Peter Medveď Director
18-Feb Ms Lívia Haringová Financial manager Ekopolis
18-Feb Mr Štefan Jančo Project manager
19-Feb Ms Helena Woleková Director
Socia
19-Feb Ms Marcela Černá Financial manager
24-Feb Ms Alena Pániková Director
OSF
24-Feb Ms Jana Malovičová
PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o. 201
Evaluation of EEA and Norway Grants – NGO Funds – August 2010
25-Feb Ms Martina Szabóová Director
25-Feb Mr Jaroslav Mojžiš Project manager
25-Feb Ms Jarmila Šrámková Financial manager NCP
25-Feb Mr Boris Striženec Financial manager
25-Feb Ms Natália Ďurková Project manager
8-Mar Mr Juraj Hatrík
8-Mar Ms Andrea Brezanová Paying Authority
8-Mar Mr Ján Ridzoň
Ms Trine Skymoen Ambassador
Ms Sona Sulikova Norwegian Embassy
Mr Pavol Demes Evaluator and Advisor
Slovenia
22-Feb Ms Mateja Šepec Jeršič Project Manager REC, Slovenia
Norwegian Embassy
22-Feb Ms Guro Katharina Helwig Vikor Ambassador
Ljubljana
Government Office for
9-Mar Mr Peter Ješovnik Development and
European Affairs
202 PITIJA, Svetovanje d.o.o.